Today in the SF Bay Area, we’re choking on smoke from wildfires caused by thousands of lightening strikes (also, high humidity, thunderstorms and lightening? In the Bay Area? In August? Super weird). Climate change is responsible for creating the conditions for all this. Fighting climate change is an all-hands-on-deck moment…

Original post: https://site.utilityapi.com/blog/doing-good-by-doing-well-fighting-the-other-pandemic Clean tech exists to fight climate change. But we’re going about it with one hand tied behind our backs. Let’s fix that. We know climate change disproportionately impacts low wealth communities and communities of color. By its very nature, our mission is anti-racist. But our lack of…

By Shiva Patel and Connie Leeper With the ongoing COVID-19 and racial violence pandemics, we are amidst an opportunity for bold, systemic transformation. Renowned author and activist Arundhati Roy has recently familiarized the notion of the “pandemic as a portal.” …

Reforms can help poor communities of color — By Shiva Patel and Wan Smith In March, before the COVID-19 crisis deepened in the United States, 30 people from 15 states met up in New Orleans at the National Rural Electric Co-op Association annual meeting. …

After approving SMUD’s anti-rooftop solar program, California Energy Commission should honor state’s landmark mandate — By Shiva Patel and Dave Rosenfeld The bright future of rooftop and community solar in a California just got a little dimmer. On Feb. 20 the California Energy Commission approved a controversial proposal from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). The proposal, called SolarShares, generated wide vocal opposition from residents…

¿Por qué nos debe importar la democracia energética? — Esta historia apareció originalmente el 20 de junio de 2018 Para mí, trabajar para detener las amenazas a las comunidades y a las especies en peligro de extinción va más allá de pelear por detener la extracción de combustibles fósiles, contaminación y sobre consumo. …

Why we should care about energy democracy — For me, working to stop threats to endangered species and our communities is about more than fighting destructive fossil fuel extraction, pollution and over-consumption — I also want to support a just transition to an alternative energy system. That transition is where I find hope. It’s a place that highlights…