Jeff St. John

Jeff St. John

Director of News and Special Projects . .

Jeff St. John is director of news and special projects at Canary Media. He covers the intersection of technological, economic, and regulatory issues influencing the global transition to low-carbon energy in the electricity, transportation, and building sectors. His areas of expertise include innovative grid technologies, rooftop solar and batteries, clean hydrogen, electric vehicles, EV charging, and broader decarbonization policy.

He is the former managing editor and senior grid-edge editor of Greentech Media, and he previously reported for The Fresno Bee, the Tri-City Herald, and the Anchorage Daily News. He lives in Alameda, California, with his wife Tara Donoghue and his dog Lily, and enjoys hiking, baking bread, and playing guitar with his nieces and nephews.

He earned a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2001.

Solar

California slashes payments to new rooftop-solar customers

A controversial decision to cut the value of power that homes export to the grid by up to 75% could kneecap the nation's biggest rooftop-solar market, critics say.

By Jeff St. John . 15 December 2022
Solar

How will low-income Californians access home solar and batteries?

Pending changes to net metering could put solar and batteries further out of reach for low-income households, renters, schools and churches, advocates warn.

By Jeff St. John . 14 December 2022
Solar

As California guts solar net metering, batteries emerge as a moneymaker

Rooftop solar alone will earn less under new California policy, but firms are developing programs to make it lucrative to add home batteries that help the grid.

By Jeff St. John . 13 December 2022
Solar

What to expect from California’s new rooftop-solar plan? More batteries

California is about to dump its net-metering regime and adopt a new system that emphasizes home batteries. Here’s how companies are preparing.

By Jeff St. John . 12 December 2022
Energy efficiency

Leaky air ducts can undermine heat-pump performance. Aeroseal has a fix

After decades of steady growth, a tech that seals air ducts from the inside out may be poised to take off, thanks to new heat-pump and efficiency incentives.

By Jeff St. John . 9 December 2022
Fossil fuels

How states are trying to fit gas utilities into a low-carbon future

California and Colorado are the latest states to boost oversight of how gas utilities spend their customers’ money. The goal: avoiding "stranded assets."

By Jeff St. John . 7 December 2022
EV charging

Highway EV charging will need a ton of power — sooner than you think

A new report warns that EV charging along Northeast highways will require sports-stadium levels of grid power by 2030. Where are the plans to supply it?

By Jeff St. John . 5 December 2022
Batteries

Kore Power raises $75M to build lithium-ion battery cells in Arizona

Federal tax credits and incentives are driving a boom in U.S. battery manufacturing. This U.S.-based battery maker wants in.

By Jeff St. John . 30 November 2022
Transmission

NY project will use high-tech sensors to get more clean energy onto grid

National Grid and LineVision are expanding the capacity of New York’s grid to carry greater amounts of wind power. Why aren’t more U.S. utilities doing the same?

By Jeff St. John . 29 November 2022
Clean fleets

Schools scramble to prepare for $1B in federal money for electric buses

From small rural districts to statewide fleets, schools are figuring out how to put to use the biggest electric school bus investment in U.S. history.

By Jeff St. John . 28 November 2022