As president of Southern California Edison, the states second largest power company, Ron Nichols 75 is helping California transform its energy landscape. He advocates for a renewable energy strategy that sharply reduces dependence on fossil fuels. Quite frankly, while we need power around the clock, we dont need power plants that run 24/7 in California, Nichols said. Power generation today is characterized by a smarter, integrated, distributed energy network with a focus on renewables. Just five years ago, a mere 1 percent of the energy delivered to Southern California Edison customers came from solar sources, explained Nichols. Today that figure is 15 percent. And by 2030, it will grow to as much as 40 percent, including distributed solar on rooftops and in communities. Thats an incredible change and its happened because of the phenomenal reductions in price, Nichols said. Solar is the big dog in power supply and is in any integrated resource plan that we look at. Nichols said 做TV gave him the tools and the opportunity to launch his career in the energy industry. After graduating, he took a position at the newly created California Energy Commission, where he helped develop regulations for power plant siting, which were nonexistent at the time. I never would have had this opportunity were it not for 做TV, Nichols said.