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Articles by Ben Paulos
CAP agencies make good partners for community solar
Community solar is facing serious challenges. The impending end of solar tax credits and the potential end of the Solar For All program threaten to derail progress. Marketers are under the gun to cut costs, if they can survive at all. And after tax credits expire, the pressure to cut costs will be even greater. As if that isn’t enough pressure, states are pushing community solar marketers to focus more on low-income households, to alleviate high energy bills.
QC Times op-ed: Miller-Meeks should be supporting clean energy
Originally published in the Quad-City Times on May 30, 2025. Former Gov. Terry Branstad wrote in the QC Times recently that "Iowa’s energy future depends on preserving tax credits." He noted the massive economic and environmental benefits the tax credits have played over the years and said "Iowans are looking to Senators Grassley and Ernst, as well as Representatives Feenstra and Miller-Meeks to keep supporting policies that strengthen our clean energy future." Indeed, Sen.
Ben Paulos: Miller-Meeks should be supporting clean energy
Former Gov. Terry Branstad wrote in the Quad-City Times recently that "Iowa’s energy future depends on preserving tax credits." He noted the massive economic and environmental benefits the tax credits have played over the years and said "Iowans are looking to Senators Grassley and Ernst, as well as Representatives Feenstra and Miller-Meeks, to keep supporting policies that strengthen our clean energy future." Indeed, Sen.
Ben Paulos: Miller-Meeks should be supporting clean energy
Former Gov. Terry Branstad wrote in the Quad-City Times recently that "Iowa’s energy future depends on preserving tax credits." He noted the massive economic and environmental benefits the tax credits have played over the years and said "Iowans are looking to Senators Grassley and Ernst, as well as Representatives Feenstra and Miller-Meeks, to keep supporting policies that strengthen our clean energy future." Indeed, Sen.
Solar + Storage Hybrid plants are poised for explosive growth in the U.S.
At the beginning of 2021 the U.S. had 73 solar and 16 wind hybrid projects, amounting to 2.5GW of generation and 0.45GW of storage. By the end of 2021, over a third of the 675GW of solar in the grid connection queue were hybrids, and 19GW were wind hybrids. Only one in four typically get approved, built and connected. But that still points at a twenty-five-fold increase in hybrid generation.
Berkeley Lab study investigates how plentiful electricity turns wholesale prices negative in the US
The year 2020 upended routines in nearly all aspects of our lives. In the realm of energy economics, we saw prices turn negative for U.S. crude oil, natural gas, and wholesale electricity. While negative prices were unprecedented for oil, similar conditions existed for natural gas in 2019, when pipeline capacity could not accommodate the rapid expansion of associated gas production in the Permian Basin.
How energy providers can prepare for summer heat with innovative solutions
Photo: Scott Goodwill, via Unsplash Contributed by Ben Paulos Last summer’s record heat waves triggered a surge in power demand that maxed out supplies and led to outages across the West. This summer has brought renewed challenges though not (yet) as intense. But rising temperatures from climate change are just one challenge. California and other states are pushing to use clean electricity to power vehicles and buildings to cut carbon, which will increase demand.
Berkeley Lab releases progress report on state renewable energy standards
Berkeley Lab has released an annual status report on U.S. renewables portfolio standards (RPS), providing an overview of key trends associated with state RPS policies. The report, U.S. Renewables Portfolio Standards 2021 Status Update: Early Release, published in slide-deck form along with accompanying data files, describes recent legislative revisions, key policy design features, compliance with interim targets, past and projected impacts on renewables development, and compliance costs.
New Berkeley Lab Report Documents Trends in System Impacts, Reliability and Market Value of Solar in the United States
By Andrew Mills and Joachim Seel, Berkeley Lab As solar generation increases, it is expected to progressively impact the bulk power system—changing prices for energy and other grid services. Solar generation is driven by sunshine and thus often highly correlated over the course of a day within a region.
From the CEO’s Desk Newsletter
By Ben Paulos Resilient home California is suffering its worst fire season ever, with over 4 million acres burned this year alone. In EBCE’s service area, PG&E is continuing to implement Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events, proactively shutting off power to thousands of customers to prevent accidental wildfires. While power shutoff events may reduce community risk to wildfires they can also deeply impact residents and businesses.
From the CEO’s Desk Newsletter
By Ben Paulos Resilient home California is suffering its worst fire season ever, with over 4 million acres burned this year alone. In EBCE’s service area, PG&E is continuing to implement Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events, proactively shutting off power to thousands of customers to prevent accidental wildfires. While power shutoff events may reduce community risk to wildfires they can also deeply impact residents and businesses.
Open letter: Bike, pedestrian advocates ask city to stop 'misguided' enforcement
Dear Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers: Walk Bike Berkeley and Bike East Bay write to request that the city of Berkeley Police Department change its years-long, misguided practice of conducting traffic enforcement campaigns that target people walking and biking. More specifically, we ask: Focus traffic enforcement on the moving violations that cause the most severe and fatal injuries, consistent with the city’s Vision Zero policy.
Interview with “The Cycling Professor”
Marco te Brömmelstroet, Associate Professor in Urban Planning at University of Amsterdam and head of the Urban Cycling Institute, is known as “The Cycling Professor.” He can be seen in the video “Why We Cycle,” which is currently being screened around the world. Energy consultant Ben Paulos interviewed Brömmelstroet when he visited Berkeley recently with a delegation of grad students studying transportation systems.
Local clean energy fund is a bright spot in US election results
Portland, Oregon, will take $30 million a year from large corporations and spend it on climate protection. Support for the city’s most vulnerable populations is at the heart of the plan. Ben Paulos outlines planned initiatives.
Next stop on the climate party circuit - Katowice, Poland
The UN Climate Summit kicks off today in Poland. These events are always full of promises and deals. Bentham Paulos takes a look back at the promises made at September’s summit in California to see what the Poland meetings will mean for future progress.
Global push for electric vehicles moves forward despite US chaos
The move toward electric vehicles is making steady progress worldwide, as companies and countries align behind aggressive growth targets. But a renewed battle between California and the Trump Administration on vehicle policies is throwing North American plans into turmoil. Ben Paulos takes an in-depth look.
On Biofuels, part 3: The future of bioenergy
In the first installment of this series we explored the basic facts about electricity production from biomass, and some pervasive myths about it. In the second, we delved into the complicated issues involved in accounting for the climate implications of biopower. In this installment, Ben Paulos explores the future of biopower. Electricity is just one possible use for biomass feedstocks.
On Biofuels, part 2: Climate science for bioenergy is lost in the woods
This is the second article in our series about biopower: read part three here. Producing electricity from biomass is one of the most controversial and least understood forms of renewable energy. In this three part series, we explored myths and facts about biopower. In this second installment, Ben Paulos tries to make sense of a seemingly simple question – is biopower good for cutting our carbon emissions? It is anything but simple.
Get ready for the next generation of electric vehicles
Electric vehicles (EVs) are approaching a tipping point, as a wave of new cars are matching the cost and performance of traditional petrol cars. Three breakthrough electric cars, from GM, Tesla, and Nissan, are offering drivers everything they want – but without the pollution. Ben Paulos takes an in-depth look. Growth of electric vehicles is being driven by the confluence of falling prices and improved performance of batteries, consumer demand, and especially regulatory demand.
California Experts Weigh the Next Steps for a Western Regional Grid
While the move toward a Western regional grid stalled in the California legislature this fall, the discussion is not over. Regionalization was a topic of discussion at the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) annual symposium earlier this month in Sacramento. Bills to enable CAISO expansion were pushed back to the very end of the legislative session, due to a large amount of legislative time spent on extending cap and trade, according to CAISO governor David Olsen.
Texas & Germany: Energy Twins? - The Globalist
In many respects Germany and Texas could not be more different. One is cold and northern and Old World, the other hot and dry and New World. They have starkly different political attitudes – Germany is one of the most liberal countries in Europe while Texas is the epicenter of Tea Party conservatism in America. This carries over to their attitudes about environmental issues.
On Biofuels, Part 1: Dispelling myths about biopower
Myths about biopower abound: from the fear that it is deforesting the US, to the exaggeration of how fast it really grows. Does bioenergy hold potential as a global warming solution? In this first installment of three on bioenergy, Ben Paulos looks for the facts. This is the first article of three about biopower: read parts two and three to learn more. As the world grapples with ways to prevent catastrophic global warming, all eyes are looking toward renewable energy as a solution.
Getting biopower off my chest
Electricity from biomass -- biopower -- gets little attention, and little respect. When I started my energy career in the early 1990s, wind power was nascent, solar was crazy expensive, geothermal was geographically limited, and hydro had seen its day. So those of us who wanted to see a renewable energy future learned a lot about biopower. The groundbreaking 1993 report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Powering the Midwest, laid out a vision for renewables, relying on wind and biomass.
Wind and solar get cheaper and better
Wind and solar power have reached a tipping point in the US, as their prices become competitive with conventional electricity sources. Ben Paulos looks at the leaps and bounds in solar and wind, and what this means for the US energy transition. In the cornfields of Iowa, thousands of wind turbines are spinning, supplying over 30 percent of the state’s power—the highest percentage of any US state. On especially windy days in the spring, there may be enough wind power to run the whole state.
The secret about nuclear power
There are some contradictions about the US nuclear power industry which have rich potential for creating confusion among citizens, the press, and elected officials. For instance, nuclear power is cheap to operate, but wickedly expensive to build and repair. Ben Paulos takes a look.
The secret about nuclear power
There are some contradictions about the US nuclear power industry which have rich potential for creating confusion among citizens, the press, and elected officials. For instance, nuclear power is cheap to operate, but wickedly expensive to build and repair. Ben Paulos takes a look.
Market Transitions for Renewable Fuel Sources
Energy guru and journalist Chris Nelder, now at Rocky Mountain Institute, has launched the Energy Transition Show, a podcast devoted to the transition to a low-carbon energy future. The second and third episodes look at the impacts of renewable power on the grid, first with Mackay Miller of NREL talking about integration and next with me talking about the financial issues of wind and solar.
Renewables Energy Development in US States and Europe
In many respects Germany and Texas could not be more different. One is cold and northern and Old World, the other hot and dry and New World. They have starkly different political attitudes – Germany is one of the most liberal countries in Europe while Texas is the epicenter of Tea Party conservatism in America. This carries over to their attitudes about environmental issues.
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