It was an honor to testify in unequivocable support for California Energy Commission‘s (CEC) Chairman, David Hochschild at the California State Senate Rules Committee to be reappointed as Chairman for another 4 year term. The committee approved his reappointment 4-0. The video link of the hearing is found below; start at min 25 for the CEC, with my comments at 1:04. I noted that he is the top public energy policy person we have worked with globally, and has delivered exemplary results from this position to advance renewable energy and create an advanced energy economy for the state.
Founded in 1975 in response to the oil embargo energy crisis, the CEC has driven innovation and commercialization of advanced energy. Since Commissioner Hochschild started serving on the CEC in 2013, CA has increased it’s clean electricity production from 35% to 61% today, while over the same period California has strengthened economically from the 10% largest world economy (when viewed as an independent country) to the 5th largest global economy. That’s real double bottom line results.
CA hosts the most operating solar in the US, the largest thin film PV, largest rooftop PV, world’s largest battery storage system (with the state now at 10 GW of storage installed and a “lithium valley” raw material supply chain initiative), the largest geothermal plant, a vibrant onshore wind industry and 30 GW offshore wind program initiated, extensive electric vehicle manufacturing and charging infrastructure; more milestones at https://www.energy.ca.gov/. Nextracker Inc. is manufacturing both electronics in Silicon Valley and using steel that is made in California to support our solar projects across the U.S. with and especially the Southwest.
