Podcast appearances and mentions of severin borenstein

California's plan to go carbon-neutral by 2045 is raising eyebrows among experts. The state is producing so much solar energy that commercial operators are being forced to stop production. This as electric rates in the state are roughly twice the national average. For more, KCBS Radio anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart were joined by Severin Borenstein, Faculty director at the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Have you looked at your power bill — like, really looked at it? If you're anything like Rob, you pay whatever number appears at the bottom every month and drop it in the recycling. But how everyone's power bill is calculated — in wonk terms, the “electricity rate design” — turns out to be surprisingly important and could be a big driver of decarbonization.On this week's episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk about why power bills matter, how Jesse would design electricity rates if he was king of the world, and how to fix rooftop solar in America. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.Mentioned:Shift Key's rooftop solar series, featuring Mary Powell, Severin Borenstein, and Heatmap's own Emily PontecorvoJesse's distributed energy research at MITAustralia's Solar Choice Price IndexMore on Texas' Griddy debacleLeah Stokes et al. on utilities' climate recordRob's upshift; Jesse's upshift--This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…Watershed's climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rooftop solar is four times more expensive in America than it is in other countries. It's also good for the climate. Should we even care about its high cost? Yes, says Severin Borenstein, an economist and the director of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business. In a recent blog post, he argued that the high cost of rooftop solar will shift nearly $4 billion onto the bills of low- and middle-income Californians who don't have rooftop solar. Similar forces could soon spread the cost-shift problem across the country. On this week's episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with Borenstein about who pays for rooftop solar, why power bills are going up everywhere, and about whether the government should take over electric utilities. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.Mentioned:California's Exploding Rooftop Solar Cost ShiftWhat rooftop solar costs customers without it, from the California Public Advocates OfficeBorenstein on California's new income-graduated fixed electricity chargeBorenstein on what constitutes a fair electricity billJesse's upshift; Rob's downshift.--This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…Watershed's climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harnessing the Sun: Dr. Severin Borenstein Unveils the Power and Politics of Rooftop Solar The Not Old Better Show, Inside Science Interview Series   Welcome to a very special episode of the Not Old Better Show Inside Science Interview Series on radio and podcast.  Today's episode is sponsord by Seed and Qualia Senolytic. I'm Paul Vogelzang and we're going to delve into a topic that touches our lives each day, yet remains shrouded in both mystery and opportunity: the power of the sun harnessed through rooftop solar panels.   Joining us is Dr. Severin Borenstein, a preeminent voice on the economics of renewable energy and a visionary in the field of electricity pricing and policy. Dr. Borenstein, a distinguished professor at the University of California, Berkeley, brings not only his expertise but also a passion for a sustainable future that benefits us all.   In this episode, we'll explore the significant implications of solar energy incentives offered through initiatives like the federal Inflation Reduction Act, and what these mean for you, our listeners. Dr. Borenstein will break down the complexities of "net metering" and why it has become a contentious issue in the fight for fair energy distribution. We'll also take a journey through the evolving landscape of California's solar incentive policies, gleaning insights that could guide other states in fostering their own sustainable futures.   But this isn't just about policies and abstract economics—it's about the real-world impact on individuals and communities. It's about understanding how adopting solar power can not only reduce our carbon footprint but also reshape our economic landscape, making energy more affordable and accessible for everyone. Through Dr. Borenstein's expertise, we will unveil how these changes affect our wallets, our environment, and our future.   Prepare to be enlightened, inspired, and equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions about the energy that powers your home and life. We'll be talking climage change again soon with Meryl Davids Landau, as part of our Prevention Magazine Interview Series, so stay tuned. But today's episode promises to be not only an enlightening conversation but a call to action for us all to contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world.   My thanks to Dr. Severin Borenstein for joining us today.  My thanks to our sponsors  Seed and Qualia Senolytic.  Additional thanks to AAAS and SciLine for their help in arranging details of this episode.  My thanks always to Executive Producer Sam Heninger for all his work on the show and my thanks to you our wonderful audience here on radio and podcast.  Be well, be safe and Let's Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better on radio and podcast.  Thanks, everybody, and we'll see you next week.

Kleinman Center visiting scholar Severin Borenstein discusses California's struggle to balance residential solar growth with electricity rate equity. --- California's residential solar market is at a critical inflection point after years of strong growth. Last year the state, which has more rooftop solar than any other, lowered the net metering rate that it pays solar households for the excess electricity that they feed into the electric grid. The policy change contributed to a steep decline in residential rooftop solar installations. This could complicate the state's task of achieving 100% carbon free power in just over 20 years. Yet the reasons behind California's decision to reduce its solar subsidy are complex and reflect growing tensions over the private versus public costs of rooftop solar. These costs are particularly controversial in a state that already has among the highest electricity rates in the country, as well as aggressive targets for home electrification. On the podcast Severin Borenstein, a Kleinman Center visiting scholar and faculty director of the Energy Institute at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, discusses California's residential solar energy policies and the challenge of balancing equity, solar growth, and the pace of electrification. Borenstein also explores the lessons from California's experience that might be applied to other states where rooftop solar power growth is poised to accelerate. Severin Borenstein is a visiting scholar at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and faculty director of the Energy Institute at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Related Content Overcoming Economic Barriers to Electrifying Everything (podcast) https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/podcast/overcoming-economic-barriers-to-electrifying-everything/ Residential Battery Storage: Reshaping the Way We Do Electricity https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/residential-battery-storage-reshaping-the-way-we-do-electricity/   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Energy economist Severin Borenstein, Professor of the Graduate School at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, discussed the many significant challenges facing the nation's electricity power sector in the latest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.” The podcast is produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program. Read a transcript of the podcast: https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/severin-borenstein-podcast-transcript.pdf

The California energy commission has begun hearings investigating why gas prices have recently spiked so high, but the empty chairs at the first hearing stole the spotlight. Those chairs were reserved for oil company executives who didn't show up as their companies post record profits. To discuss further, KCBS Radio's Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with Severin Borenstein, faculty director at the Energy Institute at U-C Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Diablo Canyon is the last nuclear power plant operating in California and has been scheduled to shut down in two phases, the first in 2024 and the second in 2025.For more on this, we are joined live today on the KCBS Ring Central Newsline by Severin Borenstein, faculty director at the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and member of the California Independent System Operator Board of Governors.

Gas prices in much of the country have dropped substantially this fall. But in California, it's been just the opposite. Prices there are pushing some residents to the edge, and the record costs are raising concerns about whether price gouging is to blame. William Brangham looked into the state government's response and discussed it with business and public policy professor Severin Borenstein. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Severin Borenstein, an energy economist comes on the show to talk about the high gas prices in California. Pres. Biden went down to Fort Myers, Florida to see the damage from Hurricane Ian. The animal activist who ran onto the field during the Rams/49ers game on Monday night has gone to the police to ask for charges against Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Last week, Californians were hit with a scorching heat wave, and as households blasted their air conditioners in the afternoons to keep cool, it placed extreme stress on the state’s power grid. So, for the first time, Californians received an emergency text alert asking citizens to conserve electricity to avoid blackouts. And it worked. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks with Severin Borenstein, who researches energy markets at University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Last week, Californians were hit with a scorching heat wave, and as households blasted their air conditioners in the afternoons to keep cool, it placed extreme stress on the state’s power grid. So, for the first time, Californians received an emergency text alert asking citizens to conserve electricity to avoid blackouts. And it worked. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks with Severin Borenstein, who researches energy markets at University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Hear from Prof. David Victor and Dr. Danny Cullenward, as we dive into the political forces that mould the climate policy landscape. Designing climate policies that are effective in achieving climate change mitigation and adaptation is a major challenge. Most economists argue for a carbon tax, which helps align incentives appropriately. But the costs can be all too visible to consumers, prompting protests and undermining their political acceptability.  Indeed, when it comes to climate policy, you will often find that there is a trade-off between what is effective, and what is realistic. Today's discussion is all about how politics shapes the plausibility and effectiveness of different climate policies. We discuss how the interests of consumers, firms, and political parties play a major role in determining not only what climate policies work best, but which ones are even possible. In this episode, we explore: Why policies with highly visible costs tend to be avoided by politicians; How politically organized groups can resist the implementation of market-based policies; And the surprizing difference in mitigatory power between market-based and regulatory policies. Links from today's discussion: David and Danny's 2020 book, Making Climate Policy Work The historical, political, and economic phenomenon of Potemkin villages Severin Borenstein et al.'s research paper on the relative mitigatory efficacies of market-based and non-market-based climate policies Martin Weitzman's research paper on price-based vs. quantity-based policies in the context of emissions uncertainty

Severin Borenstein is a professor of Business and Public Policy at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and the director of the Energy Institute at Haas. One of California's premier experts on energy policy, his research focuses on business competition, strategy, and regulation in the airline industry, the oil and gas industries, electricity markets, and the economics of renewable energy. In this week's podcast, Borenstein talks about the link between California's energy policy and its economic growth; the state's oversize role in setting and exporting global energy policy; innovation and climate policy; and why banning new gas stations is a really bad idea. 

In this week's episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Ryan Kellogg, a professor at the Harris School of Public Policy and affiliated faculty at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Kellogg discusses why carbon pricing, long the preferred emissions-reduction tool for most economists, actually may not be as efficient as other policy options. Kellogg and Raimi explore how economic theory has led many to favor carbon pricing, and why the conventional wisdom on carbon pricing may turn out to be wrong in the real world. References and recommendations: “Carbon Pricing, Clean Electricity Standards, and Clean Electricity Subsidies on the Path to Zero Emissions” by Severin Borenstein and Ryan Kellogg; https://www.nber.org/papers/w30263 “Superpower: One Man's Quest to Transform American Energy” by Russell Gold; https://www.russellgold.net/superpower

Sheldon Kimber has built from scratch multiple successful enterprises over his two decades in the energy industry. Now the CEO and Co-Founder of Intersect Power, a developer and owner of some of the world's largest clean energy resources, Sheldon is working to bring innovative and scalable low-carbon solutions to customers across North America. Earlier this year, Sheldon published an article entitled, “The Nexus of Deep Decarbonization,” in which he discusses the five inevitable industries that have the potential for exponential growth as we work to decarbonize the global economy by leveraging increasingly affordable and available clean energy. These five industries include; Green Hydrogen and E-Fuels, Direct Air Capture, Electrification of Industrial Thermal Loads, Mass Electric Vehicle Charging, and Desalination and Water Transportation.In this episode, Chad Reed and Jeff Eckel dive deep into Sheldon's unique background and discuss the five inevitable industries, and the related decarbonization policy challenges and opportunities given the current macroenvironment. To get the most out of this episode, we encourage you to read Sheldon's aforementioned article, available in the show notes. Links:Sheldon Kimber TwitterArticle: The Nexus of Deep Decarbonization (Sheldon Kimber, February 11, 2022)Article: Proposed US tax credit 'would instantly make green and blue hydrogen competitive with grey' (ReCharge News, February 9, 2022) Episode recorded: May 11, 2022

The average price of regular gas in the U.S. is always higher in California because of added local taxes, environmental fees and something economist Severin Borenstein calls the "mystery gasoline surcharge." He joins us to discuss. And, Lee Kravetz, author of "The Last Confessions of Sylvia P," explains how his new book uses three interconnected stories to explore the life and literary legacy of poet Sylvia Plath.

Updated at 9:30 a.m. How the Russian invasion of Ukraine is impacting the Sacramento Slavic community. The rising price of gas. Washoe County disavows racist covenants. DRiP Espresso in Sacramento is a Black family-owned shop with a focus on brewing community and culture. Today's Guests Attorney and activist Alex Tovarian shares how the Russian invasion of Ukraine is impacting the Slavic community in Sacramento. Severin Borenstein, professor at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and faculty director of the Energy Institute at Haas, breaks down how the Russia-Ukraine crisis will impact the price of oil and gas.  Washoe County Recorder Kalie Work and Alexis Hill, Vice-Chair of the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners, provide more details on how the county is making it easier for thousands of Reno-Sparks residents to discover if their homes have racist covenants.  Keiona Williamson, Taylor White, and Jasmine Bronson-White discuss the opening of their DRiP Espresso in Sacramento, a Black family-owned coffee shop with a focus on brewing community and culture along with espressos.

January 2022 is Solar Energy Month on Sustainability Now! On Sunday, January 23rd, hosts Ronnie Lipschutz and Brooke Wright welcome Dr. Ahmad Faruqui, an energy economist who has been deeply involved in solar electricity issues in California. We talk about the pending decision by the California Public Utilities Commission to reduce compensation for rooftop solar electricity and to charge households for access to the state's electricity grid. You can learn about the proposed decision at: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/nemrevisit Dr. Faruqui's comments on the proposed decision are at: http://ahmadfaruqui.blogspot.com/2022/01/my-comments-on-cpucs-proposed-decision.html Dr. Severin Borenstein of the UC Berkeley Haas School and Dr. Faruqui debated the choices before the State of California on Wednesday, January 26th. You can watch the debate at: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/live-debate-how-to-fix-rooftop-solar-policy-in-california?utm_id=canary&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=202127337&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--K_uhTUcmpl88UhS4iCADMc_gKWQWrB2ziu5wcLOqakZayxzHba7UwZXOB4xjYk6bZ1-TYV6J4NWWCzsT3x64XRPLsMQ&utm_source=nem Previous broadcasts of Sustainability Now! are archived at KSQD.org and on Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Sustainability Now! is underwritten by the Sustainable Systems Research Foundation and Environmental Innovations.

By Sasha Hupka If your time is short: The California Independent System Operator, which oversees the operations of the state's power grid, issued a Flex Alert last week amid the first heat wave of the summer. The alert asked Californians to conserve electricity when possible. It included several tips, including a suggestion to avoid charging electric cars during peak power usage hours. Most electric car drivers top off their battery regularly rather than charging it from empty to full. Therefore, many cars are equipped with charging timers and only require a few hours of charging each day, so Californians can easily avoid charging vehicles during peak hours. Experts say California's power grid can comfortably support up to 5 million electric cars on the road. Currently, there are roughly 635,000 electric vehicles registered in the state, according to the California Energy Commission. As Californians grapple with the increasing impacts of climate change, few things have come to be dreaded more than summer heat waves. This year, the scorching temperatures arrived early, prompting the first power conservation advisory of the summer on June 17 and setting off speculation on social media about how the heat could impact electric car owners. “California literally just told everyone to not charge their electric cars due to power shortage,” read a June 18 post on Facebook, which was shared more than 46,000 times. “So California just asked everyone to stop charging electric cars due to power outages … can't make this crap up,” read another, posted on June 21. There's good news for electric car owners — the rumors are missing a lot of context and aren't entirely true. But the posts spread quickly online and migrated from Facebook to other platforms, including Twitter.  They also sparked discussion about whether California has the resources to continue to move toward electric vehicles in pursuit of a greener future. “California can't provide enough electricity for the homes and businesses they have yet they're mandating everyone drive more electric cars,” read one post on Facebook. “I'm continually amazed at how stupid leftists can be.” Facebook flagged the posts as part of its efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed, so we decided to investigate. (Read more about PolitiFact California's partnership with Facebook.)  The Alert The California Independent System Operator, or CAISO, is the nonprofit tasked with operating and managing most of California's power grid. It regularly issues power conservation advisories when the grid is facing challenging conditions, such as intense heat or wildfires.  The advisories, known as Flex Alerts, encourage Californians to shift their energy usage to certain times of the day when the power grid is less stressed. “A flex alert is not a power outage,” said Gil Tal, director of the Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. “It's a way to prevent outages. We don't like that we are being told not to use electricity, but it's a much better situation than sitting in the dark if the grid is collapsing.” Usually, the alerts ask that residents conserve power during evening hours, when people are still awake and using electricity but some energy sources, such as solar power, are not available. “On a good day, solar in California can make up half of the generation,” said Severin Borenstein, a professor of business administration and public policy at UC Berkeley and the director of the Energy Institute at the university's Haas School of Business. “And so when we start to lose it, we need to have other things. One of the problems that comes up on super hot days when the demand is very high is we may not have enough of the other resources to keep the balance in the system.” In announcing the June 17 Flex Alert, CAISO encouraged people to voluntarily cut back their power usage from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The announcement included tips on how Californians could conserve energy and advised residents to complete tasks involving high amounts of energy, such as using large appliances and charging electric vehicles, before the alert to “be as comfortable as possible” during the evening hours. The advisory never explicitly told Californians to not charge electric vehicles – just to shift their charging schedules, if possible, to accommodate limited resources in the evening. “This is completely voluntary,” Borenstein said. “There typically aren't even financial incentives. It's just a plea and that applies to electric vehicles as well.” How Electric Cars Get Charged Today, there are just under 630,000 electric cars on the road in the Golden State, according to the California Energy Commission. Although they come in many shapes, sizes and models, all of them work similarly — drive, park and plug in as needed. How long and how often electric cars need to charge depends on a variety of factors, including how far the car has traveled, what the car's top range is and what type of outlet it is hooked up to. Borenstein said charging a vehicle fully can take hours. “If you're plugging into a regular old household 110-[volt] outlet, it can take all night just to replenish a battery that's been driven 100 miles during the day,” he said. “Most houses that have charging have at least a 220-[volt] outlet and charge about twice as fast.” But most daily commutes won't completely drain an electric car's battery. Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration shows that residents of the San Francisco Bay Area traveled an average of about 20.7 miles per day in 2019. In Los Angeles, that number was 22.5 miles each day and in Sacramento, it was 22.3 miles.  So most modern electric cars don't need to be charged on a daily basis, Tal said.  Many get plugged in every couple of days and are equipped with timers so that owners can schedule their charges. While electric car drivers might initially balk at power outages and conservation advisories, Tal said these events usually pose “no problem.” “A Flex Alert is a couple of hours and there are very, very few electric car drivers that have to charge their cars in these specific few hours,” Tal said. “Most of the drivers today and in the future will be able to delay it by a couple of hours or a couple of days if needed.” Does California Have The Power To Go Green? As of 2019, renewable sources produced just over 30% of California's power. In 2015, the state pledged to increase that number to 50% by 2030 and Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order last year that requires all new cars sold in California to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. “California is really on the cutting edge of integrating wind and solar into generation,” Borenstein said. “California also has much larger penetration of electric vehicles than any other state, and so we are on the cutting edge there, too. That gives us the opportunity to be a leader in coordinating the electric vehicles with the intermittent renewables.” If everyone drove an electric vehicle, Tal said Californians would “double” their electric use in their homes. But change is unlikely to come quickly, and the current grid is able to support short-term increases in electric cars. “We can have millions of electric cars on today's grid with no problem,” Tal said. “We have less than a million today and we can go to three, four, five million without doing any serious upgrades.” In the long run, California's power grid will need to produce and store more electricity to reliably make the shift to an entirely electrified fleet. But Tal said the process should be smooth if the changes happen “together.”  Borenstein said it's not the first time the power grid has needed to adjust to emerging technology, comparing the shift toward electric cars to when air conditioning became popular in the 1950s. Over the years, the grid successfully scaled up capacity to accommodate energy demands. Air conditioning units tend to kick in at roughly the same times because outside temperatures increase during the day and decrease overnight, which posed an additional challenge for the electric grid of the 1950s. Borenstein said electric cars will likely have an easier adjustment. “We are going to have to build up capacity here as well,” Borenstein said. “But we probably aren't going to have to build up capacity nearly as much because everybody doesn't have to charge at the same time.” As California transitions to electric vehicles and renewable power sources, Borenstein said market forces will likely promote charging during times when energy is more plentiful. “I think that's where we're going,” he said. “We're not going to make it illegal to charge your car at any particular time, but it's going to be cheaper to charge it when the grid actually is more plentiful with electricity and more expensive when the grid is tight.” Our Ruling Posts on social media claimed that California told electric car owners to “not charge” their vehicles because of a power shortage. The posts appear to refer to a Flex Alert that was issued by the California Independent System Operator on June 17. The alert encouraged Californians to voluntarily conserve energy and charge their electric vehicles before 5 p.m. to minimize possible stress on the power grid during the first major heat wave of the summer.  CAISO officials never said people could not charge their vehicles. Rather, they asked that electric vehicle owners shift their charging schedule to accommodate limited energy sources in the evening. Furthermore, experts say that most electric vehicles only need a few hours of charging each night and are equipped with timers so that owners can schedule charging periods, making it simple for Californians to voluntarily comply with the Flex Alert. The posts also kicked off debate about whether California's grid will be able to accommodate efforts to move toward electric vehicles in the coming years. But experts said the transition should be smooth as long as the shift to electric cars is coordinated with efforts to push for renewable energy sources and improve grid capacity. The posts entirely misinterpreted the Flex Alert and stoked largely unfounded fears about California's move toward green energy. Therefore, we rate these claims False. FALSE – The statement is not accurate. Sources: Facebook post, June 18, 2021 Facebook post, June 21, 2021 Facebook post, June 28, 2021 Twitter post, June 21, 2021 Interview with Gil Tal, director of the Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, June 25, 2021 Interview with Severin Borenstein, a professor of business administration and public policy at UC Berkeley and the director of the Energy Institute at Haas, June 29, 2021 California Independent System Operator Corporation, Flex Alert in effect today from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., June 17, 2021 California Energy Commission, Zero Emission Vehicle and Infrastructure Statistics, April 20, 2021 Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Series: Highway Statistics 2019, Sept. 30, 2020 California Energy Commission, 2019 Total System Electric Generation Los Angeles Times, Gov. Brown signs climate change bill to spur renewable energy, efficiency standards, Oct. 7, 2015Los Angeles Times, Newsom orders 2035 phaseout of gas-powered vehicles, calls for fracking ban, Sept. 23, 2020

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Meredith Fowlie, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and a faculty director of the Energy Institute at Haas. Fowlie and coauthors recently published a working paper on the causes and implications of high electricity prices in the state of California. These high prices burden low-income households and pose a hurdle to reducing emissions through the electrification of transportation, heating, and other sectors. In today’s episode, Fowlie describes proposals for reforming electricity pricing in California in ways that address this complex and evolving challenge. References and recommendations: “Designing Electricity Rates for an Equitable Energy Transition” by Severin Borenstein, Meredith Fowlie, and James Sallee; https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP314.pdf “Competitors to lithium-ion batteries in the grid storage market” episode of the Voltscast podcast with David Roberts; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/competitors-to-lithium-ion-batteries-in-grid-storage/id1548554104?i=1000521809537 “Timber Wars” podcast from Oregon Public Broadcasting; https://www.opb.org/show/timberwars/ “Resources Radio” podcast from Resources for the Future; https://www.resources.org/resources-radio/ “Why Animals Don’t Get Lost” by Kathryn Schulz; https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/05/why-animals-dont-get-lost

Expert on the economics of renewable energy, Severin Borenstein joins the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Severin Borenstein, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, faculty director of the Energy Institute at Haas, and member of the Board of Governors of the California Independent System Operator. As the state of Texas struggles to keep the lights on due to extreme cold, Raimi asks Borenstein about lessons learned from California’s blackouts during the summer of 2020: the cause of the outages, the role of renewables, and market reforms that could help reduce the risk of blackouts in the future. Raimi and Borenstein also discuss how California’s experience can help Texas and other regional electricity networks plan for a future with more renewable power. References and recommendations: “An empirical analysis of the potential for market power in California’s electricity industry” by Severin Borenstein and James Bushnell; http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/borenste/download/JIE99Cournot.pdf “Measuring Market Inefficiencies in California’s Restructured Wholesale Electricity Market” by Severin Borenstein, James B. Bushnell, and Frank A. Wolak; http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/borenste/download/AER02BBW.pdf “Capacity Markets at a Crossroads” by James Bushnell, Michaela Flagg, and Erin Mansur; https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP278.pdf “The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger” by Marc Levinson; https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691170817/the-box “The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth’s Future” by Paul Sabin; https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300198973/bet “Under a White Sky” by Elizabeth Kolbert; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617060/under-a-white-sky-by-elizabeth-kolbert/

Renewable energy is the key to reducing China's carbon emissions, and for many years experts have seen electricity markets as essential to the promotion of clean energy.  In this episode, we check in with a leading U.S. expert on China's power sector, Michael Davidson, to discuss two recent papers he has published on the topic of power markets and renewable energy in China. Michael Davidson is an Assistant Professor in the School of Global Policy and Strategy and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California San Diego. His research and teaching center on the engineering implications and institutional conflicts inherent in deploying low-carbon energy at scale, with a particular focus on China, India, and the U.S. He holds a PhD in engineering systems from MIT and was previously a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.   For further reading: http://mdavidson.org/ Hongye Guo Michael R. Davidson, Qixin Chen. Da Zhang, Nan Jiang, Qing Xia, Chongqing Kang, Xiliang Zhang, Power market reform in China: Motivations, progress, and recommendations, Energy Policy, October 2020, at https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0301421520304444. Pre-publication version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jya_iJmW-YqKZqqNg9552LNc-3EYGNY7/view   Davidson, M. R. and Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, Avoiding Pitfalls in China’s Electricity Sector Reforms, The Energy Journal, 2020, at http://www.iaee.org/en/publications/ejarticle.aspx?id=3504. Pre-publication version: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cx330qg   Some useful definitions: Electricity spot market: For most commodities, a spot market refers to buying and selling of a commodity for immediate delivery. For electricity, the spot market usually consists of two markets with different lead times: the day-ahead and intraday markets. Market players on the day-ahead market trade in electricity for the following day. For intraday markets, the hour-ahead market is most common. Dispatch: Since electricity cannot be stored in power lines, the entity operating the power grid must continuously adjust the output of its power plants (or energy storage units) to meet fluctuations in electricity demand. This process is called the dispatch of power plants. Economic dispatch: Economic dispatch is the short-term determination of the optimal output of a number of electricity generation facilities, to meet the system load, at the lowest possible cost, subject to transmission and operational constraints. The main idea is that, in order to satisfy the load at a minimum total cost, the set of generators with the lowest marginal costs must be used first, with the marginal cost of the final generator needed to meet load setting the system marginal cost. Curtailment: Curtailment is the percentage reduction (usually by the grid operator) of output of a renewable power plant below what it could have otherwise produced. It is calculated by subtracting the electricity that was actually produced from the amount of electricity the plant could have produced given available wind or solar resources. Capacity factor: Also known as the capacity utilization factor, this is the ratio of the actual output from a power plant over the year (kWh) to the maximum possible output from it for a year (kWh) under ideal conditions. If a power plant has a maximum output (capacity) of 1,000,000 kW, and it operates at a capacity factor of 100% of the year, it would produce 1,000,000 kWh x 24 days x 365 hours = 8,760 GWh. In China, capacity factor is usually mentioned in terms of the number of operating hours per year, but the concept is the same (just divide operating hours by the number of hours in one year and the resulting percentage is the capacity factor). A higher capacity factor generally translates to a lower cost of electricity, since capital costs will be spread across more operating hours. Wholesale vs retail power markets: A wholesale market allows trading between generators, retailers and other financial intermediaries both for short-term delivery of electricity (see spot market) and for future delivery periods. A retail electricity market exists when end-use customers can choose their supplier from competing electricity retailers. In China, this retail market would typically exist mainly for large industrial consumers. Acronyms: SERC: State Electricity Regulatory Commission (defunct) NDRC: National Development and Reform Commission (responsible for all aspects of economic planning and regulation) NEA: National Energy Administration Background on the California 2000 electricity crisis: https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/107th-congress-2001-2002/reports/californiaenergy.pdf In 2001, the Congressional Budget Office analysis stated that: "Long-term solutions to California’s electricity problems will most likely require three changes: removing barriers to the addition of generating capacity, eliminating bottlenecks in the electricity transmission system, and removing regulatory restrictions on the sale of power throughout the broad western market... On the demand side, the prospects for successful restructuring would also improve if consumers faced the full costs of electricity and were better able to adjust their use of power in response to changing prices." The report went on to recommend real-time metering (mostly implemented), devices in homes to monitor power use and automatically schedule or interrupt consumption when prices are high. Here's a blog from leading California expert and California Independent System Operator board of governors member Severin Borenstein, of the University of California Berkeley, that offers specific criticisms of the present state of the California market with respect to consumer participation and utility/ISO communication with consumers: "Why don't we do it with demand?" https://energyathaas.wordpress.com/2020/08/24/why-dont-we-do-it-with-demand/ Lastly, here is a fascinating summary from David Roberts of Vox discussing the need for more solar (not less), microgrids, and islanding capability to deal with blackouts and fires in California: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/10/28/20926446/california-grid-distributed-energy  

Extreme weather is sweeping across California. Record-breaking temperatures have baked residents and wildfires are raging throughout the state, leading to power outages and poor air quality from smoke and raining ash. Today on Insight, extreme weather, its connection to climate change, and how California can better prepare and respond. Guests Cal Fire Assistant Deputy Director Daniel Berlant with the latest on the wildfires raging across California  CapRadio Environment Reporter Ezra David Romero checks-in on his field reporting covering the wildfire impact in Solano County Fire Scientist and professor at the University of California, Merced and former wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service, Crystal Kolden, on the connection between the extreme weather California is experiencing, wildfires and climate change  University of California Berkeley economics professor and Board member at the California Independent System Operator, Severin Borenstein, explains what the state could've been better prepared for the heat wave and subsequent power outages, and solutions going forward  Pulmonologist and critical-care physician at Sutter Roseville Medical Center, and Medical Director of the Sutter Valley Area Electronic ICU, Dr. Vanessa Walker, talks about air quality issues from wildfire smoke and ash, and how to protect your lungs CapRadio Assistant Program Director and Modern Music Director, Nick Brunner, with some of favorite new music picks and a look at the winner of the Tiny Desk Concert

Every California motorist knows that gasoline is expensive in the Golden State. Taxes and fees on the state and federal levels account for more than 80 cents per gallon at the pump. But even after stripping out all those expenses, the California Energy Commission says drivers are still paying more than they should because of “an unexplained residual price increase” that's persisted for the last five years. Gov. Gavin Newsom thinks oil companies may be “engaging in false advertising or price fixing” and he has called on Attorney General Xavier Bacerra to open an investigation into what UC Berkeley professor Severin Borenstein has long called the “mystery gasoline surcharge.” In 2018, California motorists paid an average of 30 cents more per gallon at higher-priced retail outlets such as Chevron, Shell and 76 than the average American paid for gasoline in other states, the energy commission said in an analysis released last week.

DMV holding off on $40M for improvements, lawmakers are demanding an investigation into the ridiculously high gas prices - Severin Borenstein has more, a CBSLA I -Team investigation into a failed "green energy" bus with David Goldstein and an El Chapo case update.

Patt Morrison talks with Severin Borenstein a Professor at UC Berkeley Haas School of business and Faculty Director of the Energy Institute at Haas.  

Host Daniel Raimi and Joshua Blonz, a postdoctoral fellow at RFF, talk about his recent research on an energy efficiency program in California, the “principal-agent problem,” and what that means for policymaking on energy efficiency and much more. References and recommendations made by Joshua Blonz: "The Welfare Costs of Misaligned Incentives: Energy Inefficiency and the Principal-Agent Problem" by Joshua Blonz; http://www.rff.org/research/publications/welfare-costs-misaligned-incentives-energy-inefficiency-and-principal-agent "Lyft Doesn’t Cause Congestion, All Vehicles Do" by Severin Borenstein; https://energyathaas.wordpress.com/2018/12/17/lyft-doesnt-cause-congestion-all-vehicles-do/

This seminar was given on November 1, 2018 by Severin Borenstein, Professor and Faculty Director, Energy Institute at Haas, UC Berkeley. It was given as part of the Regulatory Policy Program's weekly seminar series.

Severin Borenstein, E.T. Grether Professor, Haas School of Business, University of California Scott Jacobs, CEO and Co-founder, Generate Capital Lynn Jurich, Chief Executive Officer, Sunrun When the U.S slapped 30 percent tariffs on imported solar panels, headlines heralded bad times ahead for clean energy in this country. But the stock prices of solar installers increased because the hit could have been worse. Solar entrepreneur and advocate, Jigar Shah, said it was “good news.” Our guest and professor from University of California Berkeley, Severin Borenstein said, “there's no question, this is a policy that was designed to make renewables more expensive because it doesn't make any economic sense beyond that.” Listen to a conversation about the future of solar. This program was recorded live at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on February 21, 2018.

The Beaumont, TX area wasn't supposed to be in Harvey's path.  Not only was the area in the path, it's been hit hard!  With a good chunk of money going towards disaster relief in Texas, what happens if California gets hit hard by an earthquake, wildfire or other disaster?  Why is it that every time it's hot in Southern California, the power companies beg us to cut back on our usage?  UC Berkeley's Severin Borenstein explains. So long to Columbus Day, hello to Indigenous Peoples Day. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United States is a leader in environmental policy, with California at the forefront as a global hub for clean energy technology and investments. With Trump as President, many environmentalists fear this will change. Trump has vowed to bring back coal jobs, withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and reduce clean energy spending — not to mention calling climate change a “hoax” and selecting climate change deniers to head the EPA and Energy Department. Californian officials and other international leaders have spoken out and pledged for continued environmental progress, regardless of what happens in Washington. What specific protections can state governments such as California put in place? Are market forces and technology strong enough that current trends towards clean energy will continue despite any potential policy decisions? If the US were to pull out of the Paris Agreement, would other countries continue to hold up their end of the bargain? Hal Harvey, the CEO of Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology LLC, and Severin Borenstein, E.T. Grether Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, will evaluate the ramifications of potential policy decisions that Trump could make. For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1681

In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, the U.S. is struggling to define its nuclear energy future. The film “Pandora’s Promise” asks whether we should use nuclear energy to deal with global warming. Michael Shellenberger, President of the Breakthrough Institute and featured in the film, says you can’t be an “anti-nuclear activist and an anti-fracking activist.” Nuclear is an invaluable power source that is both scalable and produces no greenhouse gasses, says Shellenberger. However, says Severin Borenstein, Co-Director of the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley, the movie fails to address cost. In order for nuclear to remain a viable part of the energy mix it must become less expensive. The developing world, he says, won’t be willing to adopt something that isn’t “as cheap or cheaper than burning coal.” A Climate One Cinema post-screening conversation on the documentary “Pandora’s Promise” and the future of nuclear power. This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California on June 15, 2013

In the face of what many experts have called the greatest threat to human existence on this planet, why aren’t tangible steps being taken to solve the problem of global warming on an institutional, macro level? The answer, according to Dr. Severin Borenstein, is pure economics. As an expert on the economics of the energy […]

Energy Innovation: Overhaul or Tweak? Severin Borenstein, Co-director, Energy Institute, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley Richard Lester, Director, MIT Industrial Performance Center Dan Reicher, Executive Director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford America’s innovation engine is the envy of the world, yet it struggles to deploy new technology at the scale commensurate with its economic might. This panel of experts from three of the nation’s leading universities says that the U.S. risks falling behind if it refuses to address the technical, financial, and political barriers slowing energy innovation. Richard Lester, Director, MIT Industrial Performance Center, lays out what he calls the three waves of energy innovation: energy efficiency in this decade; the scaling of low- or de-carbonized energy supply technologies beginning in 2020 and running through about 2050; and breakthroughs we don’t even know about today, or may know about but are in the lab stage, but that can take decades to mature. Dan Reicher, Executive Director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford University, is especially bullish on the promise of Lester’s first wave, energy efficiency. “It is the low-hanging fruit, and it’s also the low-hanging fruit that grows back. We don’t use it up,” he says. Reicher says that energy efficiency and other low-carbon technologies are needlessly held back because we ignore one or more critical criteria: technology, policy, and finance. And even when easy efficiency gains are there to be had, such as in new cars, says Severin Borenstein, Co-Director, Energy Institute, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, we are slow to act. “The technologies are getting better, but gasoline, for the most part, remains cheap. When you ask people how much they need to save to drive a smaller car, it’s a lot more than most people are willing to give up,” he says. These difficulties and more – think our broken political system – have convinced Richard Lester that a new approach, one not dependent upon raising the price of energy, is necessary. “It may be time for a shift in the policy debate to focus less on what is certainly the key requirement of increasing the price of energy to reflect these costs and focusing more on the other half of the equation, which is figuring out how to reduce the cost of the things that we actually want, which are low-carbon energy technologies and efficiency,” he says. Dan Reicher shares Lester’s concern about our broken politics, particularly as it is manifested in the GOP focus on the bankruptcy of Solyndra. “We may be demanding that anything that we put money into has got to show very reliable, very quick success. And not allow for what innovation requires, which is placing bets,” he says. Severin Borenstein urges policymakers to ramp up funding for basic science research, in part because he is pessimistic that existing renewable energy technologies will be sufficient. “The technologies that are going to solve this problem don’t exist yet,” he says, adding that “most of the technologies that exist don’t have the potential to be cost-effective with fossil fuels.” “We can’t take our eye off the price on carbon,” he says. This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on November 3, 2011

Developing renewable energy resources may be the best way to address environmental sustainability concerns in the long term. In this university podcast, Haas School professor Severin Borenstein argues that to have a significant impact in the energy market, any renewable alternative must be scalable. He discusses how this may, however, paradoxically drive down the price of fossil fuels, thereby creating a bigger problem than policy makers have realized. He suggests where policy interventions should be focused so as to pave the way for the greater appeal of renewable technologies. He also calls for more support of basic research that focuses on making low-emission sources the least expensive form of energy. Carl Pope, chairman of the Sierra Club, and Nancy Ryan, commissioner of CPUC, respond. Borenstein was talking at the 2010 Climate Policy Instruments in the Real World conference, an event convened by the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD) at Stanford University. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/severin_borenstein_renewable_energy_and_environmental_sustainability

Severin Borenstein is E.T. Grether Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy at the Haas School of Business, director of the University of California Energy Institute, and co-director of the institute’s Center for the Study of Energy Markets.