In recognition of the substantial effect that widespread use of electric vehicles (EVs) will have in reducing carbon emissions, the state and federal government have set ambitious goals to increase the number of EVs on the road. California aims to put at least five million zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2030 and have 100 percent zero-emission vehicles for new cars and trucks by 2035, and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045. The federal government has set a goal that at least 50 percent of new cars and trucks sold in 2030 will be zero-emission vehicles. In an effort to reach these goals, California has adopted legislation with the goal of increasing the number of EV charging stations and expanding existing infrastructure to supply the demand for charging. Please see our latest alert here for a summary of the key laws that can help developers and governments more quickly permit EV charging infrastructure.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 49 into law on October 7, commissioning California’s Department of Transportation to establish clear guidelines for companies and public agencies to develop highway-side renewable energy. SB 49 was among a flurry of climate bills that have received Newsom’s signature this legislative session, including two high-profile corporate disclosure bills that, starting in 2026, will require companies to annually report their carbon emissions and the financial impact of climate change on their business.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill into law to establish a new centralized procurement system for clean energy resources, which industry experts say will put the state on a path towards its 25 GW offshore wind goal. AB 1373 gives the Department of Water Resources authority to act as a centralized procurement entity until Jan. 1, 2035. Newsom also signed SB 286, which will accelerate the state’s offshore wind permitting process, and SB 605, which requires the California Energy Commission to evaluate the use of wave energy and tidal energy to help meet the state's clean energy and pollution reduction objectives.
A group of energy consultants is raising money to study a potential $9 billion transmission line that would unite the eastern and western power grids of the U.S. with a line traversing southern South Dakota. The Power from the Prairie project would connect the two U.S. grids with a 4,000 MW electric transmission line. The transmission line would run across South Dakota from eastern Colorado to central Iowa. It would connect to other projects that have already been permitted.
Green Street Power Partners (GSPP) has completed its 26 MW Westlands Almond solar project in Kings County. This utility-scale solar installation marks the company’s largest solar array to date. Agrivoltaics, which is the use of land for both agriculture and solar energy generation, will play a key role at the site. GSPP will use sheep grazing for vegetation management in future seasons.
The company that wanted to build an underground energy storage plant along Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo County has withdrawn its application nearly two years after the project was proposed. On Friday, the California Energy Commission terminated the proceeding for energy company Hydrostor’s Pecho Energy Storage Center. The energy storage center would have turned 300 acres of farmland into an industrial site to store 400 MW of energy by using excess electricity to compress air in caverns deep underground.
Silicon Ranch and the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative have completed the 20 MW McNeal solar farm plus storage project in Cochise County, Arizona. It includes an 80 MWh battery energy storage system, which will enable the cooperative to meet the increasing power demand and needs of more than 3,000 southeastern Arizona households.
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