Transmission Costs and Misplaced Blame

The “duck curve” has become one of the most recognizable symbols in modern energy as an illustration of both the promise and the challenge of solar power. But what if the very technologies creating the problem could also solve it?

In this episode of Power Perspectives, host Kinsey Grant Baker welcomes Craig Lewis, Founder and Executive Director of the Clean Coalition, to explore how local solar and storage can flatten the duck curve, cut costs, and build a more resilient grid.

Bringing his decades of experiences to the table, Lewis shares how California’s energy transformation can serve as a blueprint for the nation—and why the real battle isn’t just about generation, but about where and how we build it. This conversation challenges conventional wisdom about where the next wave of grid investment should go, emphasizing how “thinking local” may be the smartest way to plan globally.

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Key Links:

Exploding transmission costs are the missing story in California’s regionalization debate: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/exploding-transmission-costs-are-the-missing-story-in-californias-regional/526894/

How to protect California ratepayers, expand clean local energy and avoid bailing out PG&E: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/how-to-protect-california-ratepayers-expand-clean-local-energy-and-avoid-b/554564/

How Two Simple Fixes Can Fairly Compensate the True Value of DERs in California: https://www.tdworld.com/distributed-energy-resources/article/21132853/how-two-simple-fixes-can-fairly-compensate-the-true-value-of-ders-in-california

Transmission Access Charges Wasteful electricity transmission spending is hurting California communities. Our reforms will fix this: https://clean-coalition.org/policy/transmission-access-charges/

Flattening California’s Duck Curve with Local Solar: https://clean-coalition.org/news/flattening-californias-duck-curve-with-local-solar-and-battery-storage/