Ben Paulos

Our friends at @solarunitedneighbors.org are organizing a write-in campaign to get Congress to free the money for the EPA Solar For All program. The courts have ruled that blocking the money was illegal, but it hasn't gone out yet. Send a message here: act.solarunitedneighbors.org/a/restore-so...

I’m surprised the billionaires fighting the billionaire tax (prop 40) in California have not been advertising all of their philanthropic giving. Seems like a good story for a reporter to look into. 

The @iea.org says electric prices in Syria have gone up 6x since the Iran war started. Can you say Solar Syria? @solarchase.bsky.social, do you have any stats on Syrian imports of solar panels? 

I’ve been advocating for connecting data centers to district energy systems, to capture the waste heat. Compute cogen. Germany likes the idea but has any US developer tried it? Seems like it would help with community acceptance.  www.wired.com/story/europe...

To find this rebate and many more check out the Incentive Finder tool. For Alameda County (@avaenergy.org) -- avaenergy.org/go-electric/... For Santa Clara county (San Jose Clean Energy) -- sjce.govcentives.com From govcentives.com.

The Trump Carbon Tax is really going to kick in next year. Most airlines have limited hedges for fuel prices. www.reuters.com/business/rya...

🚨 Annual data product now available 🚨 We've compiled and synthesized empirical data on U.S. hybrid and co-located power plants, defined as projects that combine two or more generators and/or storage assets at a single point of interconnection. emp.lbl.gov/hybrid

The California climate assessment report is out, and it’s all bad news. Here’s a free New York Times summary.  www.nytimes.com/2026/10/19/u...

To go with my report on plug-in solar for the @cleanenergystates.bsky.social, I made this little payback calculator. One notable variable is the amount of self-consumption. A critical but overlooked issue in states that don't allow NEM for plug-in solar. www.cesa.org/resource-lib...

If your highschooler is busy writing their college essays, they may benefit from this new book from Berkeley essay coach Jessica Reich. Available now at jessicareich.com. 

That ridiculous “love me” propaganda video from the Trump administration wasn’t the first use of taxpayer money for propaganda. Here’s an Interior Department video from 2025.   youtu.be/AmMQCwJV1a0?...

Chevron donated $150,000 to the Bay Area Council, which led a campaign against electrification rules requiring homeowners to replace gas water heaters with electric heat pumps. The Council hired a software company to send thousands of opposition emails, some without the consent of the signers.

How many energy geeks does it take to change a light bulb? Find out today, since it is National Energy Geek Day! www.daysoftheyear.com/days/nationa...

📣 NCCETC is launching State of Play with DSIRE, a new quarterly webinar series! Join us October 20 from 1-2 pm as we kick off the series and explore the growing potential of virtual power plants and the policies shaping their development. Register FREE: ncsu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

This woman certainly deserves her punishment , but why do we allow cars to go 130 miles per hour? www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...

Solar farm owners are starting to think about repowering, with more efficient, bifacial, and tracking. How about we give a second life to those panels in plug-in solar kits?

It’s going to be hot all across California this weekend but @caiso.com says power supplies look OK. Thanks to abundant solar and batteries— utility scale and distributed— we can keep the grid up and air conditioning on, without pollution.  www.solarreviews.com/blog/califor...

No home charger? No problem. We asked our coworker what it's like to own an EV and rely entirely on public charging. Read on for their experience and advice! AvaEnergy.org/insight/what-its-like-to-own-an-ev-without-home-charging

Even @microsoft.com is no better than crypto miners, setting up 130 MW of gas generators without a permit, to power Copilot. New Jersey fined them $1m but let them keep operating. Why @mikiesherrill.bsky.social? share.google/NwgmhdK4iHwm...

Interest in plug-in solar seems boundless. I got interviewed for an article in @gizmodo.com today, for @cleanenergystates.bsky.social. gizmodo.com/the-balcony-...

Those radical communists at @reason.com lay out the impact of Trump’s trade wars on farmers, and the resulting political dissatisfaction. flip.it/vQWcbl

My son @jeromepaulos.com and I make a web tool that helps you find clean energy incentives and determines your eligibility, based on location and income. It's in use by 8 California CCAs and one REN. Here's how Ava Energy uses it to help customers participate in #DriveElectricMonth.

A report by US Senate leaders details "transactional corruption" between the fossil fuel industry and the Trump administration. Dismantling pollution protections. Installing oil execs at the EPA. Over $190 BILLION in industry subsidies over the next decade. And that's just the tip of the iceberg🧵⬇️

Advocates of plug-in solar panels say they’re an easy and cheap way to transition to renewable energy and reduce electricity costs. On this week's episode, we talk to @paulosanalysis.com to see if they live up to the hype. Listen now at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm on Possibly, a show from Rhode Island public radio (@oceanstatemedia.bsky.social), talking about plug-in solar. Just 4 minutes. The sponsor of the legislation there said it was a "love fest." www.oceanstatemedia.org/possibly/202...

Here you go, the Progressive Policy Institute is identified as working for the fossil gas industry. Called a “trusted center-left ally.” Not any more! See slide 7. @energyandpolicy.org s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

EPA's cancellation of the Solar For All program has been overturned by a district court. With so many court cases going their way, you'd think the Trump people would get tired of all the winning... solarunitedneighbors.org/wp-content/u...

This is exactly how solar development in farmland should happen. Listen to the quotes from the farmers: "it's good for the soil to give it a rest" "I'll be able to retire someday and the land will be in a profitable state so I can pass it on to my children" www.ketv.com/article/mill...

No wonder Republicans talk about pedophiles so much. Another clip for your collection, @volts.wtf. www.twincities.com/2026/09/11/u...

Finally got around to reading @sueanderbois.bsky.social's very detailed & comprehensive Energy Plan. This is the kind of vision that we need in #RhodeIsland & this is why I will be voting for Sue for Lt. Governor. (We at @climateactionri.org also endorsed her). www.sueanderbois.com/priorities

‘Wow! I think I just met the real life Leslie Knope!’ We have heard this at nearly every campaign stop, house party, & community meeting. Sue really is Rhode Island’s Leslie Knope! And we have less than a week to elect Rhode Island’s real life Leslie Knope to be your next Lt Gov!

@solarunitedneighbors.org has been doing group solar buys for a long time. Now they are getting a boost from a partnership with the State of Virginia. The numbers are much bigger! We might need more celebrity endorsements to reach bigger audiences.

ERCOT's "connect and manage" model gets the buzz in grid reform debates, but U.S. regions already offer a non-firm option: Energy Resource Interconnection Service. So why are IX queues still bottlenecked? Our new paper in Energy Policy investigates 🧵 👇️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I’m glad to see that California is “a challenging place for data center developers.” Why any state would offer tax breaks to attract them I don’t know. flip.it/Ao.qNI

Very nice Sankey diagram of US trade flows for goods and services. I'm not sure why we're mad at Canada, since our net trade deficit is only $35b. Mexico and South Korea are much larger. Though I'd like to see this viz with more countries. public.tableau.com/app/profile/...

The NYT says “The savings tend to be greater for people who live in energy-efficient apartments or houses that use relatively little electricity.” This is incorrect. We have tiered rates in CA so plug-in solar offsets higher tier 2 rates of large consumers. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/b...

BIG WIN FOR LOWER ENERGY BILLS AND CLEAN ENERGY: My legislation to allow people to use plug-in solar (aka balcony solar) just received final Senate sign-off and is on its way to the Governor!

California homes that already have solar can add up to 1 kilowatt of plug-in solar. Soon everyone else will be able to, as SB878 from @scottwiener.bsky.social is almost on the desk of @governor.ca.gov.

The extremely low cost of solar panels is resulting in some things that used to be unthinkable. Like vertical mounted and flat mounted systems. Here’s one in Fresno with panels lying on the ground. No mounts.  share.google/NcaQnMYhWWde...

The Vatican is building an 80 MW agrivoltaic plant. The Father, the Sun, and the Holy Goat! 🥁 flip.it/LO1lfY

It’s good to see @senatorcervantes.bsky.social stand up for DRUNK DRIVERS! They only killed 1300 people in California last year. We’ve got to get those numbers up! calmatters.org/investigatio...

Have a home solar & battery system or thinking of getting one? Franklin, Lunar, Enphase, & Tesla batteries are eligible for Ava SmartHome Battery. Get an upfront installation rebate & ongoing participation payments for joining Ava’s virtual power plant. Learn more: AvaEnergy.org/smarthome-battery

With power grid reliability, if it ain’t one thing it’s another. Now it’s the wild turkeys.  share.google/fSKMhRmc8mnx...

If you want to support clean energy candidates, check out Sue AnderBois running for Lt Governor of Rhode Island.

Important reading to understand the big money context of being a utility regulator. It’s a bad look for Google to get in bed with this. I hope @tnorris.bsky.social and Tyler Huebner reconsider.