MONDAY NEWS CODEX: Senate Bill 1359; Perovskite-Silicon Manufacturing in CA; the Trolley Problem
Are Long-Promised Solar Perovskites Finally Hitting Mass Production? "Perovskites hold a place of honor in the pantheon of much-heralded clean energy breakthroughs that have yet to actually arrive, alongside small modular nuclear reactors and solid-state batteries. In theory, these crystal structures could radically improve solar panels’ capabilities by absorbing wavelengths of light that conventional silicon cells can’t catch. But the stunning advances in R&D specimens have yet to infiltrate the cold, hard world of commercial solar manufacturing." CANARY MEDIA
Tandem PV Launches Commercial Perovskite-Silicon Manufacturing in California: "Tandem PV has opened a 40 MW commercial demonstration factory in Fremont, California, marking a significant transition for perovskite-silicon technology from laboratory development to repeatable manufacturing at scale." PV MAGAZINE
California's Gas System is Crumbling – SB 1359 Charts a Path to a Clean Energy Future: "A new bill introduced by Sen. Henry Stern, SB 1359 (2026), titled the 'Gas Transition Responsibility and Electrification Act,' would establish a comprehensive framework to manage the transition away from natural gas and toward electrification in a way that protects ratepayers, reduces emissions, and ensures an orderly and equitable phase-down of gas infrastructure. Specifically, SB 1359 would direct the California Public Utilities Commission to align gas system planning, ratemaking, and infrastructure investment decisions with California’s climate goals, while prioritizing electrification and minimizing stranded asset risk (i.e., the financial risk of future ratepayers having to pay for gas pipelines that become obsolete)." LEGAL PLANET
California's Proposed SAF Tax Credit Really Will Raise Gas and Diesel Prices While Delivering Small Carbon Reductions: "The company best placed to immediately benefit from the proposed tax credit is Phillips 66, a Texas oil company that converted its oil refinery in Rodeo California to make renewable diesel and SAF mostly from waste oils and fats." ENERGY AT HAAS
California Advances Carbon Neutrality Goals with the Largest Renewable Energy Project to Date for the DWR: "The new Pastoria Solar Project, Power Bank, and Energy Facility will provide 105 megawatts of clean energy to help move water across the state." ABC 23 BAKERSFIELD
California Powers its Massive Water Pumps with 105 MW Kern County Solar Project: "The California Department of Water Resources and developer Calpine have brought the 105 MW Pastoria Solar Project online in Arvin, marking the largest renewable energy procurement in the history of the State Water Project. Situated in Kern County near the foot of the Tehachapi Mountains, the facility utilizes approximately 226,000 solar panels equipped with tracking technology to follow the sun’s path." PV MAGAZINE
FERC Tees Up June Decision on Data Center Interconnection Reform: "In an April 13 filing at FERC, the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners highlighted recent efforts by states to develop data center interconnection rules. 'The abundance of recent state undertakings demonstrate that state commissions are in the best position to ensure rational and efficient interconnections of new large loads while protecting all customers … from improper cost-shifts or unfair interconnection processes,' the organization said." UTILITY DIVE
Natural Gas Dominates in the Annual Energy Outlook 2026: "Natural gas demand not only increases due to increases in the generating sector but also because of expanding liquefied natural gas exports. U.S. dry gas production increases up to 40% through 2050 from 2025 levels among the cases. The EIA projects LNG exports will rise from about 15 billion cubic feet per day in 2025 to more than 30 billion cubic feet per day by 2050." INSTITUTE for ENERGY RESEARCH
Renewable + Storage Grid: "Currently available short-duration storage systems such as the Tesla Megapack would probably be acceptable for peak shaving applications early in the transition. However, as transition progresses, medium-duration and long-duration storage solutions would be required to effectively compensate for multi-day interruptions and seasonal variations in renewable generation performance. Pumped hydro storage would likely be a suitable medium-duration storage approach, though proposed pumped hydro systems have met with public resistance. Green Hydrogen production and storage has been suggested as a long-duration storage option, but its capital and operating costs are currently excessive." CLIMATE CHANGE CONUNDRUM
The Hidden Obstacles Facing Renewable Energy: "The dynamics that defined the expansion of U.S. wind and solar power over the past two decades have been completely upended by more recent technological developments. A steady migration toward air conditioning-reliant states like Arizona, Florida, and Texas, together with the growing adoption of electric heat pumps and vehicles, is helping drive electricity consumption up for the first time in a generation. But the big story, of course, is AI data centers, whose power consumption could triple (or more) within a decade. So it’s telling that, while wind and especially solar continue to grow steadily in the United States, data centers are relying overwhelmingly on natural gas to meet their immediate power needs—at least for now." THE ECOMODERNIST
Trolleys, Fires, and Oxygen Machines: "Real change starts with sharpening California utility regulators’ teeth. Regulatory commissioners are responsible for reviewing the 'reasonableness' of power shutoff events, but these reviews typically don’t focus on infrastructure investment. This has to change. Only when the state legally requires that utilities invest in their infrastructure as part of holistic wildfire mitigation efforts will they be forced to look outside the box, beyond the low-hanging but expensive fruit of undergrounding." THE INTERTIE
Why Californians Are Leaving: "Under [Gavin] Newsom, the once massive California oil industry has been effectively stifled, leaving California dependent on Middle Eastern crude, and particularly vulnerable to the Hormuz crisis." NEW YORK POST