Born and raised in California. Physics degree from Reed College. Master's degree from Dartmouth College. Worked on energy and environmental policy for nearly 25 years.
Posted March 13, 2012 by Peter Miller in Solving Global Warming
The Washington Post just ran a story describing the winner of the L Prize, a new LED light bulb that uses only one sixth the electricity of a standard incandescent. If you haven’t seen one, it looks like it was...continued→
Posted February 7, 2012 by Peter Miller in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming
The market for renewable electricity is robust and competitive according to a report released this week by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The Quarterly Report on the state’s 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) provides a snapshot on the impressive progress that has...continued→
Posted July 21, 2011 by Peter Miller in Solving Global Warming
This week, I completed an analysis of a recent California energy efficiency program to promote energy-saving light bulbs that demonstrates the program was a huge success, providing customers with over $7 in benefits in energy savings and pollution reductions for...continued→
Posted April 19, 2011 by Peter Miller in Solving Global Warming
While Congress stalls on America’s clean energy future, California is already making renewable energy the resource with which we’ll power our way to the future. Just last month, the California Legislature passed the 33 percent Renewable Portfolio Standard with broad...continued→
Posted March 10, 2011 by Peter Miller in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming
The much anticipated renewables portfolio legislation that would increase California's share of electricity coming from renewables to 33 percent cleared its last remaining hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee today on a vote of 12 to 3. The RPS bill now advances to...continued→
Posted March 8, 2011 by Peter Miller in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
The RPS bill that would increase California’s share of electricity coming from renewables to 33 percent (SBX1 2) surmounted two critical hurdles over the past few days. Last Thursday, the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee voted out SBX1 2 unamended...continued→
Posted February 25, 2011 by Peter Miller in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
This week the California State Senate approved Senate Bill 2X, authored by Senator Joe Simitian (D-San Mateo), which would require California utilities and other electricity providers to generate 33 percent of their electricity from renewable energy resources, including solar, wind, geothermal...continued→
Posted October 14, 2010 by Peter Miller in Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
A Recent Evaluation of a Key California Efficiency Program Is Far Too Pessimistic In an earlier blog, I described how a recent evaluation of a key energy efficiency program that promoted compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) concluded that nearly half of...continued→
Posted May 26, 2010 by Peter Miller in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
The Energy Division of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently released its evaluation of the success of the utilities energy efficiency programs, including the lighting program implemented by the three largest utilities in the state from 2006 through 2008. This assessment is...continued→
Posted December 23, 2009 by Peter Miller in Solving Global Warming
Since I got back from Copenhagen, the most common response among my friends and colleagues has been disappointment with the outcome. That surprised me. First, because being in Copenhagen was extrordinarily inspiring. It was a privilege and a pleasure to be among...continued→
Posted December 15, 2009 by Peter Miller in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming
(What follows is an abridged version of the comments I delivered on a side event panel on Ensuring Offset Quality sponsored by the Climate Action Reserve at COP15.) What is an offset? An offset is an emission reduction in an...continued→
Posted September 18, 2009 by Peter Miller in Solving Global Warming
The 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) recently passed by the California Legislature represents a commitment to an almost 3-fold increase in the amount of renewable generation for California consumers in 2020 compared to current levels. If enacted, this legislation would...continued→
Posted September 18, 2009 by Peter Miller in Solving Global Warming
Over the past couple of days, I've been asked by a number of reporters about the practical difference between an executive order directing CARB to adopt an RPS regulation and legislative enactment of the RPS. Here, then, is a clear...continued→
Posted September 17, 2009 by Peter Miller in Solving Global Warming
Very late last Friday on the final day of the legislative session, the California legislature passed a package of bills that together would require all utilities in the state to get one third of their electricity from renewable energy facilities...continued→
Posted August 31, 2009 by Peter Miller in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming
California's legislature is close to passing a requirement to raise the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to 33% in 2020. If it is enacted, this law will once again place California at the forefront of efforts to expand the role...continued→
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