From Landfill to Solar Park
Conergy and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
dedicated a 1.5 megawatt solar installation project at Sutter’s Landing Park
October 26 that will provide enough energy to deliver electricity to more than
400 average-size homes. Partial funding for the project was provided by the
California Energy Commission.
The solar installation project is built atop a former landfill that was deemed un-useable. The project includes a field of solar modules, a solar panel covered carport and elevated panels that provide shade for visitors at the adjacent dog park. Mike Gravely, with the Energy Commission’s Research & Development program, participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Conergy says Sutter’s Landing’s renewable power source will provide a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equal to removing 350 passenger vehicles from the road for a year. Revenue from the power generated will be re-invested to fund park preservation and maintenance.
Climate Change Knows No Borders
Just as trade winds cross the Pacific Ocean, so do good
ideas about combating global climate change. Come this December, California
Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller will join a trade mission to
China with clean energy companies from California and across the U.S. this
mission is being organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce, China-U.S.
Energy Efficiency Alliance, China San Francisco, U.S.-China Clean Tech Center
and the California-China Trade and Investment Office. It follows Governor
Edmund G. Brown’s 2013 gubernatorial trade mission to China. The goal of that
trip was, to gain support for addressing climate change and further encourage
trade and investment opportunities in clean energy technology.
Governor Brown and Vice
Chairman Xie Zhenhua (left) sign climate change agreement September 2013. |
Last September, Chair Weisenmiller and Matt Rodriquez,
Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, attended the
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between California and the China
National Development and Reform Commission to fight climate change through
low-carbon development. This past June, they were part of a roundtable hosted
by the China-U.S. Energy Efficiency Alliance on the role of clean energy and
energy efficiency in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air
pollutants from the energy sector.
Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller
(center) joins discussion at California-China Cooperation on Climate
Change. |
The focus of the December trade mission is to facilitate
partnerships between U.S. and Chinese clean energy companies and provide
guidance to American companies looking to enter or expand operations in China’s
market. Given the rapid expansion of China’s energy sector; how China builds
its energy future will have global economic and environmental implications. The
good news -- China is prioritizing investments in clean transportation, renewable
energy and energy efficiency.
California’s experience fostering a clean energy industry
through landmark policies, investing in energy research and development, providing
incentives for zero-emission vehicles, and developing appliance and building
energy efficiency standards has established the state as a global environmental
leader. These experiences can serve as a model for other jurisdictions to
imitate.
In December, the U.S. delegation will visit half a dozen cities in China's Northeast region, including Beijing and Qingdao. Cities chosen have specific needs for clean energy and supportive officials who have the ability to organize meetings geared toward the U.S. delegations' interests.
For more information, click here.
Unseen Energy Savings
Pumping insulation into a newly constructed home. |
As
fall arrives we notice the house gets colder and is not as comfortable without
a sweater. One can chalk this up to the change in seasons, but more likely it
could be that there are small places where the warm air escapes.
Drafty homes are caused by a number of factors one may not
see or even think about. Wall and attic insulation are among those unseen items
that can increase or decrease energy savings. The California Energy Commission is the state
agency that encourages builders and developers to incorporate energy efficiency
into designs.
The Energy Commission sets the state building codes for
energy efficiency in residential and nonresidential buildings. Currently the
Energy Commission is evaluating proposals for the 2016 Building Energy
Standards (Title 24). These proposals include having high performance attic
and walls – basically increasing insulation to keep the house cooler in the
summer and warmer in the winter.
Adding insulation to the roofline can help regulate home temperatures. |
Some builders
are already embracing these practices to keep eventual homeowners more
comfortable year round. For example, Shea Homes and KB Home have partnered
with Owens Corning to create an
attic insulation system installed at the roofline of the building.
Summer attic temperatures can be up to 40 degrees higher
than the outside air; adding additional insulation at the roofline can lower that
temperature and result in significant energy savings. According to Shea Homes,
the benefits of a reduced temperature in an attic means better performance and
efficiency in a cooling system resulting in a possible reduction of one’s
energy bill by 25 percent.
This improvement and others the Energy Commission are
considering could mean lower energy bills and greater comfort while protecting
our environment!
The Energy Commission will have a 2016 Standards
draft language workshop November 3 and release draft language in early
2015.
California Solar Increased 350 Percent in 2013
UPDATE: See a short interview with Commissioner David Hochschild about California's effort to reach the 33 percent by 2020 goal for renewable energy generation.
Solar energy systems are on rooftops throughout California and figuratively blasting through the roof, according to new data compiled by the California Energy Commission. The latest Tracking Progress report for renewable energy shows that solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) generating capacity increased by 350 percent last year. This growth trend is expected to continue. Solar thermal and PV systems capable of producing 825 megawatts (MW) of electricity have been installed so far this year and an additional 1,650 MW of capacity is being built.
This chart shows solar PV generation is skyrocketing. Solar thermal generation is down slightly.
As you can see from the second chart, solar is a small but growing part of the renewable energy mix in California. The cost of solar PV panels has dropped 80 percent since 2008, which has helped make large-scale PV plants more feasible. At the same time, incentives from state programs such as the New Solar Homes Partnership (NSHP) are helping drive adoption of residential solar. The goal of the NSHP program is to install 360 MW of solar photovoltaic capacity by the end of 2016 and the Energy Commission has distributed more than $100 million with another $80 million reserved for pending NSHP projects.
The Tracking Progress report covers all types of renewable energy in California: solar, wind, biomass, small hydroelectric and geothermal. The report also shows that wind production continues its significant growth. Wind accounted for 45 percent of renewable generation in 2013, up from 41 percent in 2012. We have seen large-scale solar development in our state for many years, but 2013 data make clear that the dramatic transition to large-scale solar is now changing California’s energy portfolio.
The report estimates that in 2013, California served about 22 percent of retail electricity sales from renewable energy. That exceeds the required level of renewable energy in the state’s aggressive Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS). For 2011 through 2013, the RPS requires all electricity retail sellers to procure an average of 20 percent of retail electricity sales from renewable sources. The target gets higher as we move forward. Renewable energy sources should provide 25 percent of our energy by the end of 2016 and 33 percent by the end of 2020, targets that we are on track to meet.
California’s growth in solar energy tracks with national growth, which was up 418 percent from 2010 to 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s April 2014 Electricity Monthly Update.
Solar energy systems are on rooftops throughout California and figuratively blasting through the roof, according to new data compiled by the California Energy Commission. The latest Tracking Progress report for renewable energy shows that solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) generating capacity increased by 350 percent last year. This growth trend is expected to continue. Solar thermal and PV systems capable of producing 825 megawatts (MW) of electricity have been installed so far this year and an additional 1,650 MW of capacity is being built.
This chart shows solar PV generation is skyrocketing. Solar thermal generation is down slightly.
As you can see from the second chart, solar is a small but growing part of the renewable energy mix in California. The cost of solar PV panels has dropped 80 percent since 2008, which has helped make large-scale PV plants more feasible. At the same time, incentives from state programs such as the New Solar Homes Partnership (NSHP) are helping drive adoption of residential solar. The goal of the NSHP program is to install 360 MW of solar photovoltaic capacity by the end of 2016 and the Energy Commission has distributed more than $100 million with another $80 million reserved for pending NSHP projects.
The Tracking Progress report covers all types of renewable energy in California: solar, wind, biomass, small hydroelectric and geothermal. The report also shows that wind production continues its significant growth. Wind accounted for 45 percent of renewable generation in 2013, up from 41 percent in 2012. We have seen large-scale solar development in our state for many years, but 2013 data make clear that the dramatic transition to large-scale solar is now changing California’s energy portfolio.
The report estimates that in 2013, California served about 22 percent of retail electricity sales from renewable energy. That exceeds the required level of renewable energy in the state’s aggressive Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS). For 2011 through 2013, the RPS requires all electricity retail sellers to procure an average of 20 percent of retail electricity sales from renewable sources. The target gets higher as we move forward. Renewable energy sources should provide 25 percent of our energy by the end of 2016 and 33 percent by the end of 2020, targets that we are on track to meet.
California’s growth in solar energy tracks with national growth, which was up 418 percent from 2010 to 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s April 2014 Electricity Monthly Update.