Tips to Understand California’s Energy Economy

By Edward Ring
09/15/2025
Last month, for the uninitiated, we devoted a newsletter to the topic “Tips to Understand Our Convoluted Yet Obligatory Units of Water.” It attempted to summarize some essential facts and relevant units for anyone who wants to monitor state water policy. Now it’s time for those of us who fancy ourselves members of the energy...

TAGS: energy

Tips to Understand Our Convoluted Yet Obligatory Units of Water

By Edward Ring
08/22/2025
Those of us following water politics and the water industry have become familiar with the most common units of water volume and water flow. Professionals in the industry make constant use of terms, often reduced to acronyms, forgetting that the rest of us may have no idea what they’re talking about. When it comes to...

TAGS: energy

The Many Colors of Hydrogen

By Edward Ring
01/14/2025
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 how can hydrogen be stored, distributed, and converted into practical applications? If you’re following the...

TAGS: energy

How Newsom Can Achieve “Affordability”

By Edward Ring
12/19/2024
Leadership in the California Legislature claim they’re aware of the cost of living and doing business in the state. In the special session called by Governor Newsom to “Trump proof” the state, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D, Salinas) said “We must chart a new path forward and renew the California Dream by focusing on affordability.” We welcome...

TAGS: California energy costs, energy, energy infrastructure

Is Photovoltaic Power Competitive?

By Edward Ring
12/12/2024
As reported in Politico on 10/29, “Westlands Water District, which supplies some of California’s driest farmland in the Central Valley, is making plans to convert some 200 square miles of it — an area roughly the size of Detroit — into what would be the largest solar installation in the world.” The motivation for this is understandable enough....

TAGS: energy

Californian Energy Use Compared to the USA and the World

By Edward Ring
11/27/2024
As we celebrate one of America’s finest traditions this week, one of the things we are surely thankful for is the energy we often take for granted. We are particularly lucky in America, because the energy we use is nearly always reliable and abundant. Just how abundant? Here are some numbers. Most energy economists report...

TAGS: energy

The Numbers Driving California vs Washington on Energy, Water & Forestry

By Edward Ring
11/21/2024
With national election results that have delivered a surprisingly unequivocal result, California’s business interests now find themselves on a political tightrope. On one side, the incoming Trump administration will pursue deregulation that may help businesses remain in California, and on the other side, the Newsom administration is going to do everything in its power to...

TAGS: energy

Is California Ready to Kill Its Oil Industry?

By Edward Ring
11/12/2024
California’s state legislature is determined to eliminate fossil fuel as soon as possible, with oil at the top of the list. This goal is shared by the Governor and Attorney General, along with leadership and staff at every one of the many state agencies that collectively regulate the industry. But even if this goal is...

TAGS: energy, oil and gas

Ways California Can Have Abundant Energy

By Edward Ring
10/24/2024
With the right combination of new policies in California, abundant energy ought to be just around the corner. Nearly all new energy development can be privately financed, and it can be delivered while creating tens of thousands of high paying jobs. But for this to happen, California’s state legislators will need to accept the following...

TAGS: energy

Wake Up California: Free Market Energy Solutions Work

By Andrew Davenport
07/18/2024
While California continues to enact draconian climate laws and regulations that hinder the state’s economy, Texas has taken the lead in driving clean energy production.  New data from energy think tank Ember reveals that after trailing the Golden State for years, Texas is now outpacing California as the nation’s leading producer of power generated from...

TAGS: California, energy, free market, Renewable, Texas