{"query_echo":{"q":"","filters":{"geography":["San Antonio"]},"warnings":[{"code":"facet_value_not_in_vocabulary","message":"Value 'San Antonio' for facet 'geography' is not in the controlled vocabulary."}]},"total":{"value":26,"relation":"eq"},"page":2,"page_size":20,"self":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/api/v1/search?geography=San+Antonio&page=2","stability":"beta","ai_marking":{"digital_source_type":{"uri":"http://cv.iptc.org/newscodes/digitalsourcetype/trainedAlgorithmicMedia","name":"Created using Generative AI"},"notice":"Summary and key insights are generated using artificial intelligence."},"results":[{"id":"eninnova-000111","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/eninnova-000111","title":"IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN PUBLICLY-OWNED UTILITIES","publisher":{"name":"Energy Innovation","organization":"energy-innovation"},"document_type":"report","language":"en","date_published":"2015-11","source_url":"https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/ImprovingPerformancePubliclyOwnedUtilities-1.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The report outlines a three-step approach for improving the performance of publicly-owned utilities (POUs). The first step involves 'no regrets' actions, such as engaging diverse stakeholders to define goals and using Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) to balance reliability, cost, and environmental targets. The second step focuses on governance evolutions, specifically delineating the roles of boards and management and implementing board self-evaluations. The third step suggests more drastic measures for lagging performance, including revenue decoupling to support energy efficiency, performance-based employee compensation, and the use of third-party non-profit entities for specific utility functions.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"eninnova-000111#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"Publicly-owned utilities can improve transparency and align management with local priorities by surveying diverse stakeholders to define top-line goals and reporting progress through standardized public 'scorecards'. Toronto Hydro implemented this by surveying customers, government, and academia, and reporting on customer focus, operational effectiveness, public policy responsiveness, and financial performance.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"eninnova-000111#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) allows POUs to balance competing goals such as decarbonization and affordability. Austin Energy used its 'Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan' to find a compromise between a 50 percent renewable energy goal for 2020 and a City Council mandate to keep annual rate increases below two percent.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"eninnova-000111#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Demand-side management can be used within an IRP to avoid expensive supply-side investments. CPS Energy's 'Save for Tomorrow Energy Plan' (STEP) aimed to save enough energy to delay the construction of a new power plant estimated to cost over $1 billion, ultimately saving almost 350 MW of peak demand.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"eninnova-000111#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Governance performance can be improved by clearly separating the board's role in setting high-level outcomes from the management's role in operational execution. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) adopted 'Governance Process Policies' to focus the board on intended impacts rather than administrative means, which contributed to SMUD becoming California's top-rated electric utility in customer satisfaction.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"eninnova-000111#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Board excellence can be driven by implementing self-evaluation models where board members are held accountable for their own performance. Energy Northwest's 'Excellence in Governance' model requires the board to assess whether it adhered to commitments and focused on the correct strategic directions.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"eninnova-000111#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Revenue decoupling—separating utility revenue from volumetric sales—removes the financial disincentive for energy efficiency and improves financial stability. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and Glendale Water and Power (GWP) used this mechanism to maintain credit ratings and support efficiency programs.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"eninnova-000111#insight-6","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Performance-based compensation and the use of specialized non-profit administrators can drive industry-leading energy efficiency. The Vermont Efficiency Investment Corporation (VEIC) ties a portion of revenue (up to 3 percent) to quantitative performance indicators, resulting in a return of $2.60 for every dollar invested in efficiency as of 2014.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"eninnova-000111#insight-7","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["energy efficiency","Integrated resource planning","renewable energy","decarbonization","demand response","photovoltaics","wind power","Performance-based regulation"],"geography_discussed":["United States","Canada","Toronto","Austin","San Antonio","Sacramento","Washington","California","Vermont"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["case study","policy recommendation"]},{"id":"rmi-000863","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/rmi-000863","title":"THE ECONOMICS OF LOAD DEFECTION","publisher":{"name":"RMI","organization":"rmi"},"document_type":"executive summary","language":"en","date_published":"2015-04","source_url":"https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2015-06_RMI-TheEconomicsOfLoadDefection-ExecSummary.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The analysis finds that grid-connected solar-plus-battery systems will become the lowest-cost option for many customers within 10-15 years, potentially causing massive revenue losses for utilities. In the Northeast U.S. alone, potential residential and commercial kWh sales erosion by 2030 could reach 58 million MWh and 83 million MWh respectively. The report argues that eliminating net metering or adding fixed charges only delays this outcome. To avoid a future of stranded assets and high costs for non-adopters, the authors advocate for an 'integrated grid' featuring locational and temporal pricing, performance-based regulation, and the monetization of distributed energy resource (DER) values.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000863#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"The optimal electricity configuration for customers will transition from grid-only to grid-plus-solar, and eventually to grid-plus-solar-plus-batteries. Solar-only systems are already economic in three of the five studied geographies, and solar-plus-battery configurations are expected to be the most economic for new customers in three geographies within 10–15 years.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000863#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Over time, solar-plus-battery systems are expected to supply the majority of customer electricity, reducing the grid's role to backup only. In Westchester County, NY, the grid's contribution to commercial customer load is projected to drop from 100% today to approximately 25% by 2030 and less than 5% by 2050.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000863#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Significant load defection threatens the recovery of an estimated $2 trillion in grid investments needed between 2010 and 2030. In the Northeast U.S. by 2030, potential annual kWh sales erosion could reach ~58 million MWh (50% of sales) and ~$15 billion in revenue for residential customers, and ~83 million MWh (60% of sales) and ~$19 billion in revenue for commercial customers.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000863#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Policy measures such as eliminating net energy metering (NEM) or implementing fixed charges are unlikely to prevent long-term load defection; they may only delay the process or push customers toward complete off-grid defection once a tipping point is reached.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000863#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Adopting solar-plus-battery systems can cap a customer's electricity costs at a 'peak price' regardless of future retail rate increases. This peak per-kWh price is estimated at $0.10–$0.30 for commercial customers and $0.20–$0.35 for residential customers across the studied geographies.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000863#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The transition creates a risk of stranded assets for owners of central generation and transmission, as solar-plus-battery systems reduce sales and encroach on ancillary services markets. Conversely, distribution grid operators could benefit from DERs through congestion relief and upgrade deferrals if new business models are adopted.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000863#insight-6","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["photovoltaics","battery energy storage system","distributed generation","Levelized cost of energy","electricity price","Utility business model","stranded asset","Performance-based regulation"],"geography_discussed":["Westchester, NY","Louisville","San Antonio","Los Angeles","Honolulu","Northeastern United States"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["economic modeling","policy analysis","forecasting"]},{"id":"rmi-001034","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/rmi-001034","title":"THE ECONOMICS OF LOAD DEFECTION","publisher":{"name":"RMI","organization":"rmi"},"document_type":"report","language":"en","date_published":"2015-04","source_url":"https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2015-05_RMI-TheEconomicsOfLoadDefection-FullReport.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The analysis finds that grid-connected solar-plus-battery systems will rapidly become cost-effective, potentially leading to significant load defection that could undermine utility revenues and create stranded assets. The report argues that the electricity system is at a 'fork in the road,' where current regulatory and pricing models will either lead to fragmented grid defection or an integrated grid where distributed energy resources (DERs) provide value back to the system.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"The economically optimal system configuration for customers evolves from grid-only in the near term, to grid-plus-solar, and eventually to grid-plus-solar-plus-batteries in the longer term.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Grid-connected solar-plus-battery systems reach economic parity faster than off-grid systems, with new customers in three of the five studied geographies expected to find them most economic within 10–15 years.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Over time, solar-plus-battery systems are projected to supply the majority of customer electricity, reducing the grid's role to backup only. In Westchester County, NY, the grid's contribution for commercial customers is projected to shrink from 100% today to approximately 25% by 2030 and less than 5% by 2050.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Significant load defection could threaten the recovery of an estimated $2 trillion in grid investments required between 2010 and 2030, as current business models rely on volumetric energy sales for revenue.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"In the Northeast U.S., maximum possible annual kWh sales erosion by 2030 could reach approximately 58 million MWh (50%) for residential customers and 83 million MWh (60%) for commercial customers.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Eliminating net energy metering (NEM) only delays significant load loss rather than preventing it, as grid-connected solar-plus-battery systems eventually cause near-total load loss regardless of NEM.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-6","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The introduction of residential fixed charges is unlikely to stop the ultimate outcome of load defection, though it may delay the economics of adoption or encourage customers to jump directly to off-grid systems.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-7","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Investing in solar-plus-battery systems can cap a customer's electricity costs at a 'peak price,' insulating them from future retail price increases. This peak price is estimated at $0.10–$0.30/kWh for commercial and $0.20–$0.35/kWh for residential customers.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-8","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The report identifies a 'fork in the road' for the grid: one path leads to an 'Integrated Grid' where DERs are valued and coordinated, and the other leads to 'Grid Defection' characterized by stranded assets and an upward price spiral for remaining grid-dependent customers.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-9","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"To avoid the grid defection trajectory, the industry must evolve pricing to be locational, temporal, and attribute-based, while adopting new regulatory models that monetize the benefits of DERs.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-001034#insight-10","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["photovoltaics","battery energy storage system","distributed generation","Levelized cost of energy","Utility business model","electricity price","stranded asset","energy transition"],"geography_discussed":["Honolulu","Los Angeles County","San Antonio","Louisville","Westchester County","Northeastern United States","Germany"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["economic modeling","policy analysis","forecasting"]},{"id":"sei-001970","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/sei-001970","title":"TEXAS TRANSPORTATION ENERGY SAVINGS STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION","publisher":{"name":"Stockholm Environment Institute","organization":"stockholm-environment-institute"},"document_type":"report","language":"en","date_published":"1995","source_url":"https://leap.sei.org/documents/texshort.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The report analyzes the energy-intensive nature of the Texas transportation system, which is heavily dependent on petroleum. Using the LEAP/EDB model, it compares a Reference Scenario (status quo) against four alternatives: Rollback, Moderate, Aggressive, and Visionary. The findings indicate that while the Reference Scenario projects a 44.2% increase in energy use by 2020, the Visionary Scenario could reduce energy consumption to levels below 1994 totals. The study emphasizes that aggressive pricing and technological shifts are necessary to achieve significant energy savings and air quality improvements.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"Texas is the largest energy consumer in the United States, with consumption levels 40% higher than California's.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Under the Reference Scenario, Texas transportation energy consumption is projected to grow from 2,044 trillion BTU in 1994 to 2,948 trillion BTU by 2020, representing a 44.2% increase.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The Rollback Scenario, which simulates the reversal of current alternative fuels programs, would result in a 1.4% increase in overall transportation energy use by 2020 compared to the Reference Scenario.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The Moderate Scenario, utilizing feebates, accelerated vehicle retirement, and employer trip reduction, is projected to reduce transportation energy use by 5.5% relative to the Reference Scenario by 2020.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The Aggressive Scenario, centered on congestion and road pricing, would lead to a 20.1% reduction in energy use by 2020 relative to the Reference case.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The Visionary Scenario, incorporating land use changes, teletravel, and full-cost pricing, could reduce 2020 energy consumption to 1,960 trillion BTU, which is lower than 1994 levels.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#insight-6","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Petroleum-based fuels dominate the Texas transportation sector, providing approximately 92.9% of energy needs in the 2020 Reference Scenario.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#insight-7","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The Visionary Scenario offers the most significant potential for air quality improvement, with 2020 CO2 emissions 36.0% lower than the Reference Scenario.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#insight-8","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Approximately 40% of all passenger miles of travel (PMT) in Texas occur within large urban areas (populations over 200,000), suggesting these areas are the most cost-effective targets for transportation control measures.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001970#insight-9","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["greenhouse gas","carbon dioxide","fuel efficiency","land use","air quality"],"geography_discussed":["California","Houston","Dallas/Fort Worth","San Antonio","El Paso","Austin","Waco","Longview","Corpus Christi","McAllen-Pharr-Edinburg","World"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["scenario analysis","energy modeling","policy assessment"]},{"id":"catf-000835","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/catf-000835","title":"Federal Funding Programs that Support Alternative Fuel Corridor Implementation and Decarbonization of the Long-Haul Trucking Industry","publisher":{"name":"Clean Air Task Force","organization":"clean-air-task-force"},"document_type":"guide","language":"en","date_published":null,"source_url":"https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/06110214/clean-corridors-resource-guide.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The document outlines federal grants and tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to support the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. It details specific funding categories including charging/fueling, supply chain development, emissions monitoring, and state planning, while highlighting active zero-emission freight corridor projects along I-95, I-80, and I-10. The guide also provides a three-phase strategic framework for states to establish priorities, communicate with stakeholders, and monitor performance to maximize the use of these federal resources.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"catf-000835#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"Alternative fuel corridors (AFCs) are essential for decarbonizing the long-haul trucking industry, which accounted for over 60% of U.S. commercial freight moving between 100 and 2,000 miles in 2021.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"catf-000835#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has funded several zero-emission vehicle corridor planning projects, including a project along I-95 from Georgia to New Jersey coordinated by CALSTART, a project for the I-80 Midwest corridor crossing Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio coordinated by Cummins Inc., and a hydrogen corridor from Houston to Los Angeles along I-10 coordinated by GTI Energy.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"catf-000835#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["electric vehicle charging network","decarbonization","greenhouse gas emissions","Inflation Reduction Act of 2022","climate finance","zero-emissions vehicle"],"geography_discussed":["Georgia","New Jersey","Indiana","Illinois","Ohio","Houston","Los Angeles","Texas","Dallas","San Antonio","San Francisco","Salt Lake City"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["policy guide","funding analysis"]},{"id":"rmi-000943","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/rmi-000943","title":"THE ECONOMICS OF GRID DEFECTION","publisher":{"name":"RMI","organization":"rmi"},"document_type":"executive summary","language":"en","date_published":null,"source_url":"https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_RMI_GridDefection-4pager_2014-06.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The report examines the economic viability of 'grid defection'—where customers use solar PV and battery storage to operate independently of the electric grid. It analyzes five U.S. geographies to determine when the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for these systems undercuts retail utility prices. The findings suggest that grid parity is already present in Hawaii and is imminent for millions of other U.S. customers, threatening to strand utility assets and trigger a 'utility death spiral' of rising prices and falling sales.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000943#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"Grid parity for solar-plus-battery systems has already been achieved for some customer segments in Hawaii and is expected for tens of millions of other commercial and residential customers in regions like New York and California by 2030, and potentially as early as 2020.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000943#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Commercial customers generally reach grid parity sooner than residential customers. The timeline for parity is further accelerated by aggressive technology cost declines or investments in demand-side improvements such as energy efficiency and load flexibility.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000943#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The arrival of grid parity within the 30-year economic life of power plants and transmission infrastructure threatens to strand utility assets and render the traditional kWh-based cost recovery model obsolete.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000943#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"In the U.S. Southwest, a conservative base case indicates that by 2024, solar-plus-battery systems will undercut retail prices for the most expensive 20% of load served; under more aggressive scenarios, off-grid systems could be cheaper than all utility-sold electricity in the region within a decade of the report's analysis.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000943#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Early adoption of solar-plus-battery systems, driven by desires for reliability and low-carbon energy, can trigger a 'utility death spiral' where falling sales lead to upward pressure on electricity rates, further incentivizing grid defection.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"rmi-000943#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["photovoltaics","battery energy storage system","distributed generation","energy efficiency","Utility business model"],"geography_discussed":["Hawaii","New York","California","Kentucky","Texas","Southwest","Honolulu","Los Angeles","Westchester County","Louisville","San Antonio","Arizona","Colorado","New Mexico","Nevada","Utah"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["economic modeling","scenario analysis"]}]}