AES Drops Plans for Large Battery Storage Project in Coyote Valley

AES Corporation announced this week that it has canceled its proposed Jewelflower Battery Energy Storage System on a 128-acre site of prime farmland in North Coyote Valley near Morgan Hill. The 350-megawatt project would have placed hundreds of containerized lithium-ion battery units across roughly 40 acres of actively farmed land on San Jose’s southern edge.

The company cited a review of project economics, infrastructure needs, market conditions, community input, and long-term priorities. No permit application had been filed. Local opposition had grown steadily, with the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority voting unanimously in May against the plan. Authority leaders pointed to more than $160 million already invested by voters and agencies to protect wildlife corridors, groundwater recharge, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture in the Coyote Valley Conservation Program area.

Parents at the nearby Charter School of Morgan Hill, state legislators including Senator Dave Cortese and Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Gail Pellerin, and a petition that collected more than 2,200 signatures had also raised concerns about placing industrial-scale batteries so close to a school and inside a conserved landscape. A previous battery project known as Hummingbird had already been successfully moved to an industrial site behind the Open Space Authority’s San Jose headquarters, showing that better locations exist.

The cancellation keeps Coyote Valley’s open fields and hills available for the wildlife movement, farming, and public access that make the area a vital buffer and natural asset for San Jose and the South Bay. AES continues to pursue battery storage elsewhere in California, while this decision reinforces that energy infrastructure and protected landscapes can both advance when projects are sited with care.

Source: San Jose Inside

Summer Bill Relief Arrives for PG&E Customers in San Jose

I bet you weren't expecting a 2nd PG&E story in the same day. This is one you'll want to read if they are your utility provider.

Residential PG&E customers across San Jose and the wider service area will see two California Climate Credits appear on their upcoming electric bills. Each credit totals $36.18, applied automatically to the August and September statements for a combined $72.36 in relief during the highest-usage months of the year.

The timing change came after the California Legislature and Public Utilities Commission moved the electric credits to summer, when cooling demand typically drives higher bills. Eligible small-business accounts already received their first credit in April and will see the second in October. Since the program began in 2014, PG&E households have collected nearly $1,200 in cumulative Climate Credits.

These funds come from the state’s Cap-and-Invest Program and represent the public’s share of proceeds from efforts to reduce carbon emissions. For many local households the extra credit arrives just as air-conditioning use climbs, helping offset seasonal spikes without any action required on the customer’s part.

PG&E has also lowered residential electric rates five times since early 2024. Combined with the summer credits, typical monthly bills now sit roughly $25 lower than two years earlier for standard customers and about $30 lower for those on the CARE discount. Additional tools such as rate-plan comparisons, home energy checkups, and efficiency financing remain available for anyone looking to stretch the savings further.

PG&E Brings Hands-On Electrification Hub to Downtown San Jose

Pacific Gas and Electric will soon open a public electrification demonstration center right in the heart of Downtown San Jose. The utility plans to convert 8,445 square feet of ground-floor space at 160 West Santa Clara Street into a hands-on learning space that opens this fall. Residents, businesses and students will finally get a clear look at the tools that make the shift to cleaner energy simpler and more practical.

Inside the new hub, visitors can explore working exhibits of smart home controls, advanced EV charging concepts, smart electrical panels, heat pump water heaters and induction cooktops. Classroom and training areas will host community groups, local schools, apprenticeship programs and workforce organizations. The goal is straightforward: show people exactly how these technologies work in real homes and buildings so more San Joseans feel ready to make the switch.

This center deepens an already active partnership between PG&E and the City of San José. Both sides have spent recent years building stronger collaboration around reliable power delivery, especially as the city positions itself as a major destination for data center investment and broader economic growth. Locating the facility just a few blocks from City Hall puts the utility in a highly visible spot at a time when Downtown office space continues to seek new, productive uses.

The timing feels right for a city that wants residents and businesses to move confidently toward electrification. By placing working examples of heat pumps, induction ranges and smart systems in an easy-to-reach Downtown location, PG&E creates a practical resource that supports both individual households and the larger clean-energy goals of San José. When the doors open this fall, anyone curious about the next step in home or business energy upgrades will have a place to see the future in action.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Powers Up: PG&E’s Microgrid Funding

Starting April 3, PG&E opened the second wave of its Microgrid Incentive Program (MIP), offering a hefty $36 million to fund clean-energy microgrids in disadvantaged Bay Area communities.

As PG&E explains, these localized energy systems can operate independently during power outages, ensuring that critical facilities like hospitals, fire stations, schools, and even grocery stores stay powered up when it matters most. With clean-energy options like solar, battery storage, and even small hydroelectric projects, this initiative isn’t just about keeping the lights on—it’s about doing it sustainably.

The application window, which runs through May 30, 2025, invites communities to dream big. In the first wave of funding, PG&E awarded up to $43 million to nine North Bay projects, with grants ranging from $1 million to $6 million each.

For those ready to get involved, PG&E has made it straightforward: visit www.pge.com/mip for details or submit your project ideas directly to communitymicrogrids@pge.com by the May 30 deadline. As the nonprofit partner shaping San Jose’s parks and civic spaces since 1996, we’re thrilled to see investments like this that uplift our neighborhoods.