I grew up in a large family that values understanding what life is like for people around the world and doing what we can to help make life better for people. I was fortunate to travel to India and China when I was young. As a ten-year old accustomed to the high standard of living in the U.S., those trips were eye-opening for me. Surrounded by people who barely have a roof over their heads, who cook over wood or dung fires, and who live without electricity, running water or sanitary sewage systems made me ask questions about my daily life like “how does the light turn on when I flip the switch?” It made me appreciate the “basic” services that most Americans take for granted, and sparked my interest in ensuring everyone has access to affordable energy services and other critical resources.
I studied bioengineering at UC Berkeley, focusing on electronics used in medical applications. While I am still fascinated by the technical marvels we can create to understand the human body, I decided that I could help more people by working on preventing the root causes of health problems rather than building machines that could diagnose health problems after they have already occurred. I pursued this interest in UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources master’s program.
At NRDC, my work focuses on reducing the environmental impact of our energy consumption by promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and other sustainable energy policies. I have been fortunate to work on several of California’s groundbreaking sustainable energy policies, including the launch of the most aggressive energy efficiency program in the history of the utility industry, and the enactment and implementation of the state’s landmark law to limit the state’s global warming pollution (AB 32).
I am passionate about helping California and other states take advantage of the enormous benefits of energy efficiency and sustainable energy, and creating a policy model for the nation and other countries that can enable every person on the planet to have access to affordable energy services.
Posted February 28, 2013 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Nuclear Weapons, Waste and Energy, Solving Global Warming
The state’s electric system is very likely to be reliable this summer, even though a massive nuclear power plant in Southern California is still down. But instead of firing up retired, dirty generators to cover the gap like last summer,...continued→
Posted February 28, 2013 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
A new bipartisan report citing energy efficiency’s continuing and huge potential as a major U.S. resource underscores once again that saving energy need not be a political issue, which Californians well know after enjoying enormous economic and environmental benefits thanks...continued→
Posted February 13, 2013 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
The California Public Utilities Commission this week unanimously voted to look first to energy efficiency and other clean energy resources to meet electric needs in Southern California. As a result, the CPUC reduced its authorization of new fossil generation by...continued→
Posted February 11, 2013 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
Just days after a California Senate committee hearing on how well the state is using energy efficiency to avoid new power plants, two Public Utilities Commission votes scheduled for Wednesday could signal whether the state continues on the clean energy...continued→
Posted January 24, 2013 by Devra Wang in Solving Global Warming
California has a long and rightfully proud history of using energy efficiency to avoid the need for expensive new power plants that pollute our air. In fact, energy efficiency is now the second largest resource for meeting the state’s electric...continued→
Posted December 20, 2012 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming
In good news for California’s efforts to cut utility bills and pollution, the Public Utilities Commission today voted to reward the state’s largest electric and natural gas utilities for their successful 2010-2012 energy efficiency programs. State policy calls for efficiency...continued→
Posted November 14, 2012 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
Today marks the launch of California’s cap and trade program, a critical part of the state’s landmark clean energy and climate law, AB 32. This is a big step forward for California, and it is the latest in a...continued→
Posted October 25, 2012 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming
Energy efficiency is the cheapest and cleanest way to meet our energy needs. Yet, the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates the state’s largest utilities, currently only provides utilities with profits for investing in dirtier and costlier alternatives like power...continued→
Posted June 30, 2011 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
At a California Senate oversight hearing yesterday called by Senator Pavley, a joint author of the state’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), Air Resources Board Chairman Nichols reaffirmed her agency’s commitment to proceed with implementation of a robust...continued→
Posted January 31, 2011 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
Over the past decade, the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates the state's investor-owned utilities, has emerged as a leader on policies that provide significant environmental and economic benefits. Governor Brown recently announced two of his three new appointees to...continued→
Posted December 16, 2010 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
Earlier today, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved about $68 million in additional incentives to reward the state’s investor-owned utilities for their success in helping customers lower their bills through energy efficiency from 2006-2008. As I blogged about in...continued→
Posted December 14, 2010 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
California voters last month resoundingly defeated Proposition 23, giving state policy makers a mandate to achieve cleaner air, curb global warming pollution, and create jobs. While there are many clean energy strategies California must pursue to meet those goals, energy...continued→
Posted September 28, 2010 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) this week issued two alternative proposed rulings on whether to provide California utilities with further rewards for the success of their 2006-2008 programs that helped customers lower their bills through energy efficiency. Most utilities...continued→
Posted June 14, 2010 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is in the process of assessing the final performance of the regulated utilities’ energy efficiency programs from 2006 to 2008 and determining whether they merit rewards. As I blogged about here, these efficiency programs...continued→
Posted May 26, 2010 by Devra Wang in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
Californians know that energy efficiency is the cheapest, fastest, and cleanest way to meet our energy needs. As the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) evaluates the success of the utilities 2006-2008 energy efficiency programs, it’s important to recognize that this...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
