House Energy & Commerce Hearing Attacks DOE Loan Guarantee Program, Renewable Sources Get Linked to Grid in California

The Energy Department's loan guarantee program, which is unfortunately and incorrectly infamous for its connection to failed solar company Solyndra, is under attack yet again from the Republicans at a hearing today by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The hearing, on the GOP's "No More Solyndras" bill, will attempt to reform and phase out the loan guarantee program that Republicans allege has become wasteful and unsuccessful. DOE spokespeople will state that the overall success of the program should not be overshadowed by a single instance like Solyndra, and that the inherent risk in investing in new technology has been well worth the rewards in both innovation and job creation here in the United States. Other bills on government efforts towards energy efficiency will also make the discussion.

California has found success bringing renewable-generated energy to the electricity grid as a result of a new power link which will bring much increased capacity to the region. San Diego Gas & Electric activated a $1.9 billion transmission line which will add a whopping 800 megawatts of power to the regional grid, which was straining under outages at a nearby nuclear power station. The new line connects two solar power projects, and while it is always difficult to get renewable energy to the grid structure, the task was recently achieved by California utilities like San Diego Gas & Electric, signaling a step forward for renewable development.