Diesel fuel cost hit a record in Tulare County on a daily basis this week, reports AAA with an average cost of $8.27 a gallon as of Sept 15, up 36 cents in a week, $1.49 over the past month and $3.11 more than a year ago. Bay Area stations have a problem with posted signs running out of room for more than $9.99.
Gasoline is up 66% in the past year while ethanol is up just 3%.That’s one more reason why California state officials look forward to January when more ethanol will begin to be blended (15%) with gasoline offering E-15 fuel instead of E-10 for most cars. This week at an industry convention, gas retailers heard they don’t have to add new equipment to offer the fuel or dig up their fuel tanks. They don’t have to shop for a different vendor and can simply use equipment that they already have. When you pull up to a pump in spring of 2027, you will likely choose the cheapest fuel option which will be E-15 with a 25 cent or more discount.
Californians just made it through the hottest August ever without any rolling power outages. In fact, the state has not issued a Flex Alert since 2022 nor implemented any rotating outages since 2020. What’s the secret – expansion of battery storage in California. The state says as of mid-2026 operating capacity surpassed 21,112 MW, a 2,500% increase since 2019 when the state had less than 700 MW online. Widespread solar battery use may not be popular in Morro Bay where some residents don’t want the technology nearby but it keeps the lights on in town anyway preventing blackouts during record summer heat waves.
The technology has expanded in tandem with solar power installations that have grown in California – now surpassing fossil fuel-based natural gas on the grid for the first time in state history. This shift was unlocked by batteries, which absorb cheap, excess afternoon solar and discharge it when the sun sets when most people are home.
Where is our power coming from?
Electricity generation “grows in line with electricity use,” the federal Energy Information Agency (EIA) said in its latest forecast. Natural gas generation is expected to grow 2% this year and another 1% in 2027, while coal generation falls 8% and 6%, respectively. “As wind and utility-scale solar capacity continues to be added to the grid, we expect solar generation to grow by 21% in 2026 and by 18% in 2027, while wind generation grows 7% in 2026 and 5% in 2027,” EIA said.