electricity – California Globe

Ringside: The Case for Carbon Sequestration via Natural Gas Power Plants

August 14, 2025 2:45 amAugust 14, 2025 2:46 am

In the case Massachusetts v. EPA in 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency can regulate greenhouse gases because they qualify as air pollutants. And ever since, electric power plants using “thermal” fuels have faced escalating regulatory pressure. How...

‘Green’ Regulations Could Be the End of the Road for California Drivers

July 16, 2025 12:11 pmJuly 16, 2025 12:11 pm

Remember the California dream? Golden sunshine, endless opportunity, and a car to take you there. For many, that dream now sputters to a halt at the gas station, with prices that feel like a punch to the gut. We’re told...

Ringside: Green Hydrogen in California

May 15, 2025 2:55 amMay 15, 2025 2:56 am

Last week I received an email from a representative of a company planning to build a large scale green hydrogen production facility in California. In reviewing the details announced in this email, which was almost certainly sent to other analysts...

Ringside: Quantifying the Variables that Determine Our Prosperity

March 27, 2025 7:00 amMarch 27, 2025 7:18 am

It is nearly impossible to read a policy document on the topic of energy or water that won’t make frequent references to carbon. In California, the race to achieve a “carbon neutral” economy by 2045 has spawned a carbon accounting...

Ringside: Rehydrating the Los Angeles Heat Island

February 21, 2025 7:00 amFebruary 21, 2025 7:07 am

Along with the fairly recent popularization of terms such as atmospheric river and bomb cyclone, we increasingly hear the term “vapor pressure deficit” (VPD). At any given temperature, the term refers to how much moisture is in the air compared...

California’s New Fuel Standards Hurt the Poor, With Little Environment Benefit

February 11, 2025 10:42 amFebruary 11, 2025 10:48 am

California faces a firestorm, not just on fires, but also on energy. The state government continues to push households to electrify while, at the same time, electricity prices skyrocket. The dual impact of increasing dependence on electricity and a 35...

Ringside: The Many Colors of Hydrogen

January 9, 2025 12:03 pmJanuary 9, 2025 12:04 pm

The lightest and most abundant substance in the universe, the simplest possible molecule, hydrogen (H2), is touted as the clean burning fuel of the future. Zero pollution. But how can hydrogen be extracted or manufactured in its pure form, and...