Energy Commission Grant Looks to Reduce Existing Building Electricity Consumption
Existing buildings consume nearly 70 percent of California’s electricity, but a new grant funding opportunity could help change that.
The California Energy Commission’s recently released a $20 million solicitation for innovative large-scale development and demonstration projects that reduce electricity consumption in existing buildings. The solicitation is designed to accelerate the adoption of pre-commercial electricity saving technologies for existing government buildings; colleges, universities and K-12 schools; privately owned buildings; and facilities on military installations.
Projects in specified investor-owned utility service areas of the Los Angeles Basin will receive priority. If funds are still available, projects in investor-owned utility service areas statewide will be considered later.
The solicitation is funded through the Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which invests in advanced technologies and approaches that bring clean energy ideas to market. Deadlines and details on the solicitation are available on the EPIC webpage.
The Energy Commission is committed to increasing diversity in the energy sector and encourages women, minority, disabled veteran and LGBT businesses to engage in and benefit from its many programs.
Hydrogen Refueling Network Welcomes Truckee Station
Hydrogen fuel-cell drivers wanting to make weekend getaways have more choices now that California Energy Commission welcomed another new hydrogen refueling station to its network.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Aug. 27 for the Truckee station, which is now open at 12105 Donner Pass Road. The station provides Californians with the fueling options they need to consider replacing their petroleum-fueled cars with hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles. Fuel-cell cars, like all-electric plug-in cars, do not emit smog-forming pollution. They help California reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, which warm the earth and change its climate.
The Energy Commission has funded 49 hydrogen stations. It is working to ensure as many of them as possible are open by the end of 2016, with plans to fund up to 100 for the initial introduction of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles in the California marketplace.
Hydrogen fuel-cell electric cars are much quieter to drive than gasoline-fueled cars. Fuel-cell cars have about the same range – 300 miles – on a full tank and they can be larger than the battery electric vehicles that rely on heavy batteries. Filling up a fuel-cell vehicle takes about three to five minutes and is similar to traditional gas cars that receive liquid gas.
California requires at least 33 percent of the hydrogen used by fuel-cell cars to be from renewable energy sources. Some stations will dispense 100 percent renewable hydrogen. Hydrogen refueling stations and vehicles are safe. They have been around for at least 20 years, supporting transit buses.
With transportation responsible for 37 percent of California’s greenhouse gases, zero-emission cars, such as hydrogen fuel-cell electric cars, can help California reach its climate change goals and reduce air pollution. That’s why the Energy Commission is funding hydrogen refueling stations and electric vehicle chargers.
See the status and locations of these stations here.
Energy Commission Helping to Expand Fast Charging Network in Southern California
A new electric vehicle charging station installed in Calabasas is helping expand the fast charging network along major freeways in Southern California.
Calabasas city officials marked the milestone at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in early August with representatives from the California Energy Commission and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD). The charging station at City Hall is open for public use.
“The installation of this station is a great step forward in the City’s ongoing goal of encouraging Calabasas residents and businesses to use alternate sources of energy,” said Calabasas City Manager Tony Coroalles.
It is the first of seven fast chargers, which allow vehicles to fully charge in 20 to 30 minutes that the South Coast AQMD is installing as part of a project funded through the Energy Commission. The project will extend the existing fast charging corridor in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Project partners include Clean Fuel Connection and eVgo.
The South Coast AQMD received $500,000 in grant funds from the Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP). The program, which provides up to $100 million annually, is helping to transition the state from vehicles that operate on fossil fuels to ones that run on alternative energy, such as electricity.
Under the ARFVTP 2016-17 Investment Plan Update, $17 million will be invested in electric charging infrastructure. To increase adoption, publicly accessible charging stations are important to extend the range and improve the convenience of plug-in electric vehicles. A complete charging network will require fast chargers, which can enable long-distance travel by battery electric vehicles when located along major interregional corridors.
California is committed to providing an infrastructure that will encourage motorists to switch from polluting fossil fuel vehicles to ones that do not pollute, keep the air healthier and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that heat the earth to unsustainable levels.
The state’s transportation system is responsible for 37 percent of California’s greenhouse gases, which is why Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. has set a goal of getting 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2025.
Find out where electric vehicle charging stations are located here.
Energy Commission Helped With California’s Compliance Plan for Clean Power Plan
When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was crafting its Clean Power Plan (CPP), it sought to establish whether a state could realistically meet the plan’s goal to combat global warming by meeting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
The EPA released its final rule for its CPP guidelines last year that required the nation’s existing power plants to cut, by 2030, emissions of greenhouse gases by 32 percent from 2005 levels. Power plants are the largest stationary source of greenhouse gases nationally, and among the largest sources in California.
The Clean Power Plan, which established state-by-state targets for carbon emissions reductions, offers a flexible framework under which states may meet those targets.
Could California do it?
Coming up with an answer was work done at the California Energy Commission which conducted electricity sector analysis as part of California’s draft compliance report on the Clean Power Plan.
California was a strong fit for the analysis work given the expertise at the Energy Commission and Assembly Bill 32, the 2006 law that required California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
The analysis that the Energy Commission’s Energy Assessments Division did included conducting production cost modeling of the state’s electricity system to test whether California could meet the CPP’s greenhouse gas reduction targets.
That work was done under a range of conditions including assessing how the plan would work under average or low hydroelectric power availability, the effect of high- and mid-electricity demand, and how the state would fare with or without power from the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
The Energy Commission’s analysis found that California could reach the CPP targets.
“California will be able to meet the CPP greenhouse gas reduction targets primarily because the state has been implementing efforts to meet aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goals since the passage of AB 32 in 2006,” said Melissa Jones, senior policy analyst at the Energy Commission.
The Energy Commission participated in all aspects relating to the CPP - from supporting the California Air Resources Board (ARB) in preparing California’s comments on draft rules released in 2014 to developing California’s draft compliance plan to meet the Clean Power Plan, said Jones.
Earlier this month, the ARB said that California's landmark cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions and proposed amendments to extend that system will be used to comply with the CPP.
California is the first state in the country to publish a draft blueprint to meet the mandate aimed at cutting existing power plant emissions.
The ARB is holding a meeting on the draft proposal Sept. 22.
Energy Commission Holding Workshop on Workforce Training Opportunities for Alternative Fuels
The California Energy Commission is holding a workshop on Aug. 25 to gather input from stakeholders to help develop how investments in workforce training for alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies will be made.
The staff workshop starts at 9 a.m. at the Energy Commission headquarters, 1516 Ninth Street. All stakeholders, including potential solicitation applicants, vehicle manufacturers, investors, community groups, and other government organizations, are encouraged to attend and participate.
The Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) provides up to $100 million annually for technology to reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels, curtail greenhouse gases and meet clean air standards. These projects reduce the state’s reliance on petroleum and helps California with its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
To date, the ARFVTP has invested more than $30 million in training and development in alternative renewable fuels and advanced vehicle technology. Under the ARFVTP 2016-17 Investment Plan Update, $2.5 million will be invested in workforce training to prepare a workforce to meet California’s growing clean fuels market.
During the workshop, the Energy Commission’s investments in workforce training will be reviewed and information will be gathered to help develop future funding opportunities. The workshop will include presentations from partner agencies such as the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office that have received training funds. There will also be discussions on the challenges for workforce training such as how to serve underserved communities, public transit agency needs, and increasing career interest in the clean fuels market.
More about the workshop can be found here.
The Pathway to 2050 Is A Road Paved With Renewables
Looking into the state’s distant and recent past may yield a clue or two about California’s energy future.
That was a focus of California Energy Commissioner David Hochschild during his closing speech at Pathway to 2050, an advanced energy conference held Aug. 10 in Sacramento.
This annual gathering of movers and shakers in the renewable and advanced energy world had topics ranging from decarbonizing transportation to scaling energy capital and energy storage.
In Hochschild’s estimation, the state has come a long way in a short amount of time with renewable energy.
“Critics said where we are today with renewables was not possible five or 10 years ago,” said Hochschild. “We were at 12 percent of renewables in 2008 and now we’re at 26 percent.”
A decade ago, some prevalent notions about renewable energy included that using more renewable energy would hurt the economy, raise unemployment and cause rolling blackouts.
“None of the calamities predicted have come to pass,” Hochschild said.
In some cases, the opposite has happened.
“Since about 2001, the state’s GDP has grown 28 percent and emissions have fallen 8 percent,” Hochschild said.
He cited Tesla as an example of the kind of growth happening - where technology is advancing at a fast clip along with the public’s adoption of that technology.
The 5.4 million-square-foot Tesla electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Fremont is the largest manufacturing operation in California. General Motors and Toyota once jointly operated the plant, which produced 50,000 Tesla cars in 2015.
“Tesla now employs more people at this plant than GM did,” Hochschild said.
That growth has happened rapidly. It took GM over 100 years to become a $50 billion company. It has taken Tesla only 13 years to reach the $34 billion mark, he said.
“As a result of our bold policies, from cap and trade to our Renewables Portfolio Standard, we now have more clean tech venture capital coming into California than all of Europe and China combined,” said Hochschild.
Comisionado McAllister Discute Barreras a Eficiencia Energética en Comunidades de Bajos Ingresos
Comisionado de EnergÃa de California Andrew McAllister apareció en Univisión en Sacramento para discutir eficiencia energética obstáculos para comunidades de bajos ingresos.
Su entrevista de 16 de Agosto en la programa “Despierta Sacramento!” por Univisión se enfocó en las esfuerzas de California en energÃa lÃmpia y eficiencia energética. McAllister tocó sobre lo que está haciendo la comisión para ayudar a romper barreras en comunidades de bajos ingresos.
“Estamos preparando un reporte para identificar polÃticas principales de energÃa para recomendar a los legisladores y también mejore de programas para educar más eficazmente a las comunidades y a propocionar oportunidades para empleo,” dijo McAllister.
Su entrevista con la estación de television en español vinó menos que una semana después de un taller de la Comisión de EnergÃa en el 12 de Agosto que se enfocó en barreras y recomendaciones para aumentar aceso a energÃa renovable, energÃa eficiencia y oportunidades de contratación de pequeño negocios para comunidades de bajos ingresos.
El taller fue parte del alcance público que está conduciendo la Comisión de EnergÃa por parte del estudio de barreras por Senate Bill 350 (SB 350), el cual que resumirá las barreras y ofrecer soluciones posibles. Bajo de SB 350, la legislatura dirigió a la Comisión de EnergÃa a completar y publicar el estudio por enero de 2017.
SB 350 aumenta la meta de adquisición de electricidad renovable de California de 33 por ciento en el año 2020 a 50 por ciento en el año 2030.
Hojas informativas sobre el estudio de barreras están disponible en ingles, español, chino, hmong, vietnamita, coreano y tagalo.
Vea la entrevista de McAllister aquÃ.
Energy Commission Funds Los Angeles Energy Innovation Cluster to Aid Entrepreneurs
Photo Credit: Laura Rudich |
The LA REIC will be the central coordinating organization for clean energy start-up companies in the Los Angeles Region and will provide access to resources and facilities to help entrepreneurs commercialize their innovations. The LA REIC will work with key stakeholders in Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties to identify the region’s energy needs and connect them with energy technology solutions being developed by early-stage business ventures and universities.
The LA REIC was one of several projects brought before the Energy Commission for action at the Aug. 10 business meeting and funded through its Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which provides grants for innovative technologies and approaches that bring clean energy ideas to market.
EPIC funding was also approved for five projects that identify, test and demonstrate water and energy savings or that develop new approaches that accelerate the deployment of drought resilience strategies. Grants totaling $5 million were awarded to UC Davis, Porifera, Inc., Altex Technologies Corp., Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC and Kennedy/Jenks Consultants.
Photo Credit: Gary Leonard |
UC Berkeley received a $1.8 million EPIC grant to demonstrate the energy savings and increased user satisfaction possible by pairing comfort-sensing ceiling fans with learning thermostats. Comfort-sensing ceiling fans have built-in technology that automatically adjusts fan speed to the home environment, while learning thermostats automatically adjust home heating and cooling controls based on space conditions and user’s schedule. UC Berkeley will install the integrated fan/thermostat system in low income multi-family housing in disadvantaged communities throughout the state.
Information on these projects can be found in the backup materials for the August business meeting.
Energy Commissioner McAllister Discusses Barriers to Energy Efficiency in Low-Income Communities
California Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister appeared on Univision in Sacramento to discuss energy efficiency hurdles for low-income communities.
His Aug. 16 interview on Univision’s “Despierta Sacramento!” focused on California’s efforts in clean energy and energy efficiency. McAllister touched on what the Energy Commission is doing to help break down barriers in low-income communities.
"We’re preparing a report to identify key energy policies that we will recommend to lawmakers, as well as program improvements to more effectively educate communities and provide opportunities for employment,” said McAllister.
His interview with the Spanish television station came less than a week after an Aug. 12 workshop at the Energy Commission that focused on barriers and recommendations to increase access to renewable energy, energy efficiency and small business contracting opportunities for low-income communities.
The workshop was part of the public outreach that the Energy Commission is conducting for the Senate Bill 350 barriers study, which will summarize the barriers and offer possible solutions. Under SB 350, the Legislature directed the Energy Commission to complete and publish the study by January 2017.
SB 350, which Governor Edmund Brown Jr. signed into law October 2015, established new energy efficiency and renewable electricity targets by 2030 to support California's long-term climate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
SB 350 increases California’s renewable electricity procurement goal from 33 percent by 2020 to 50 percent by 2030.
Fact sheets about the barriers study are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hmong, Vietnamese, Korean, and Tagalog.
View McAllister’s interview here.
Undercover Work at the State’s Central Heating and Cooling Plant
Under the sidewalks of downtown Sacramento lays a labyrinth of narrow, sweltering and faintly lit concrete tunnels stretching out for more than two miles. The tunnels are part of the Central Heating and Cooling Plant — a facility that delivers hot and cold water that heats and cools more than five million square feet of state buildings, including the headquarters for the California Energy Commission.
On a hot day, the plant at 6th and Q streets moves more than 14,000 gallons of water per minute, said Kaeyrie Rodriguez, chief engineer for the plant, which is operated by the California Department of General Services. The oversized pipes, valves, fans, chillers, boilers and other equipment operate around the clock, 365 days a year, serving 23 state-owned buildings. The facility, which was built in 1968 and completed a major renovation in 2010, is a LEED platinum plant that was designed to provide safer and more reliable heating and cooling to state buildings, expand capacity, plus improve energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. While the plant features highly efficient gas-fired steam boilers and other equipment, a passerby might mistake it for something else.
When renovating, planners wanted a look that blended in with the downtown landscape. What they got was a clean, modern building and a new 140-foot tall thermal energy water silo with urban camouflage – a powder and royal blue paint scheme surrounded by silver cladding that doubles as a modern art piece. They also made sure the facility was quiet. There is very little noise except for what sounds like a water fountain somewhere off in the distance. That sound comes from the massive evaporative cooling tower on top of the main building. There, eight fans with blades larger than most commercial aircraft propellers remove heat from large water droplets raining down into huge collecting pools with the force and din of a Midwest downpour. What’s more, the facility uses photovoltaic panels in the parking lot to generate electricity for the office and support areas.
Stanford Students Learn About Energy
This summer, the California Energy Commission hosted four Stanford University students under public service summer fellowships to work with commissioners and advisors on projects ranging from renewable energy integration to international energy policy. The Stanford Energy Internships in California program (SEIC) has provided opportunity for the students to learn about the State’s pioneering energy work and provided hands-on experience at the intersection of energy technology and policy.
Alexandria Smith, the only undergraduate SEIC fellow at the Energy Commission spent the summer in Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller’s office coordinating and providing assistance to the California Public Utilities Commission and More Than Smart initiative to transform the distribution grid to a modern, flexible distributed energy system.
“This internship has been such a fantastic opportunity to engage with leaders in energy policy, and I am amazed at the collaboration between government, communities, nonprofits, and businesses to reach resolutions that will help achieve the state’s energy goals,” said Smith, who looks forward to her junior year in the Stanford Earth Systems Program.
Terra Weeks and Esteban Guerrero both spent the summer working in Commissioner David Hochschild’s office with a focus on renewable energy policy. Weeks, a Master’s student in Stanford’s Atmosphere & Energy program, focused on developing new policy concepts to increase solar deployment on new construction and provide solar access to low-income communities.
“The SEIC program offers a rare and exciting opportunity to step into a state agency and contribute to highly impactful renewable energy programs and policies that serve as global models for clean energy leadership,” said Weeks.
As the first Environmental Equity Fellow under Commissioner Hochschild, Guerrero contributed to the implementation of Senate Bill 350 through direct participation in the upcoming Energy Commission’s Barriers Study. Esteban also helped organize the visit of and host a delegation from Mexico, as part of the ongoing California-Mexico MOU work. He has already graduated with Master’s degrees in Management Science & Engineering and Public Policy, and looks forward to his extended stay at the Commission to see to the completion of the Barriers Study in December.
Jeffrey Lin, a PhD student in electrical engineering and public policy, is a fellow under Commissioner Andrew McAllister, working on data analytics for energy use in school sites participating in the California Clean Energy Jobs Act (also known as the Proposition 39 K-12 Program). Additionally, Lin studied the proposed 2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, in relation to zero net-energy buildings.
In its inaugural year, Stanford Energy Internships in California placed 10 students across various California agencies in addition to the Energy Commission, including the California Air Resources Board, the California Department of Water Resources, California Public Utilities Commission and also at the California Independent System Operator. The Stanford Energy Internships in California is a partnership between the Precourt Institute for Energy, the Bill Lane Center for the American West, and Stanford in Government. The Energy Commission looks forward to an ongoing SEIC partnership to engage students in public service.
Energy Commission Workshop on Barriers That Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities Face with Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
The California Energy Commission is holding a workshop to discuss the barriers that low-income and disadvantaged communities face when considering adopting renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.
The workshop, which begins at 9 a.m. on August 12 at the Energy Commission headquarters in Sacramento, will gather the input from community organizations, industry, state agencies, and local government.
Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller will preside over the workshop, which the other Energy Commissioners are scheduled to attend. Commissioners and executive officers from other agencies may also attend and participate in the meeting.
The panel and roundtable discussions during the workshop will focus on barriers and recommendations to increase access to renewable energy, energy efficiency and small business contracting opportunities for low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The meeting is part of the public outreach that the Energy Commission is conducting for the Senate Bill 350 barriers study, which will summarize the barriers and offer possible solutions.
Under SB 350, the Legislature directed the Energy Commission to complete and publish the study by January 2017. The Energy Commission plans to publish the draft study in September 2016 and hold a workshop to gather input on it.
SB 350, which Governor Edmund Brown Jr. signed into law October 2015, established new energy efficiency and renewable electricity targets by 2030 to support California's long-term climate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
SB 350 increases California’s renewable electricity procurement goal from 33 percent by 2020 to 50 percent by 2030. This will increase the use of Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) eligible resources, including solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal. It also requires the state to double statewide energy efficiency savings in electricity and natural gas end uses by 2030.
More about the August 12 workshop can be found here. Fact sheets about the study are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hmong, Vietnamese, Korean, and Tagalog.
California Looking to Denmark’s Use of Wind as Reliable Energy Source
Few countries have had a more intimate relationship with wind than Denmark.
That country’s success with wind as a reliable energy source is getting a close look by California’s regulators.
Denmark is using a regional market for wind that is being studied by the California Energy Commission.
Denmark’s modern relationship with wind power began with the oil crisis of the 1970s. That crisis led Denmark to rely on coal-fired electrical power in the 1980s. As a result, Denmark earned a high per capita carbon dioxide emissions rate.
The Danes weaned off coal with wind by providing 30 percent of the initial capital cost of a wind project and implementing feed-in tariffs. The tariffs guaranteed eligible renewable energy generation facilities receive a set price for the electricity they generate and provide to the grid.
Today, the country is a world leader in wind energy. Wind supplies 39 percent of its electricity, and the country’s wind turbine industry is one of the world’s largest.
Central to the growth of wind has been a policy to integrate wind power into energy markets. Denmark has a market-based power exchange where interconnections with neighboring countries allow wind energy to be bought and sold.
“Through a regional market with other Scandinavian countries and Germany, Denmark has been able to sell power to other countries to avoid shutting down its wind turbines during times of excess,” said Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller.
Denmark also wants wind to supply half of its electricity consumption by 2020.
“The Danes are both storing renewable power in the European-wide grids and also building operational flexibility into their current infrastructure,” Weisenmiller said. “We need to explore similar tools.”
Those tools will likely offer a path to help California evolve its steadily growing wind industry.
In 2015, wind energy was roughly 6 percent of in-state total power generation in California, up from only 2 percent in 2005, according to Energy Commission data.
“As California deepens its reliance on renewables, it’s important to learn from the European experience,” Weisenmiller said.
That country’s success with wind as a reliable energy source is getting a close look by California’s regulators.
Denmark is using a regional market for wind that is being studied by the California Energy Commission.
Denmark’s modern relationship with wind power began with the oil crisis of the 1970s. That crisis led Denmark to rely on coal-fired electrical power in the 1980s. As a result, Denmark earned a high per capita carbon dioxide emissions rate.
The Danes weaned off coal with wind by providing 30 percent of the initial capital cost of a wind project and implementing feed-in tariffs. The tariffs guaranteed eligible renewable energy generation facilities receive a set price for the electricity they generate and provide to the grid.
Today, the country is a world leader in wind energy. Wind supplies 39 percent of its electricity, and the country’s wind turbine industry is one of the world’s largest.
Annual Wind Production in California |
Central to the growth of wind has been a policy to integrate wind power into energy markets. Denmark has a market-based power exchange where interconnections with neighboring countries allow wind energy to be bought and sold.
“Through a regional market with other Scandinavian countries and Germany, Denmark has been able to sell power to other countries to avoid shutting down its wind turbines during times of excess,” said Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller.
Denmark also wants wind to supply half of its electricity consumption by 2020.
“The Danes are both storing renewable power in the European-wide grids and also building operational flexibility into their current infrastructure,” Weisenmiller said. “We need to explore similar tools.”
Those tools will likely offer a path to help California evolve its steadily growing wind industry.
In 2015, wind energy was roughly 6 percent of in-state total power generation in California, up from only 2 percent in 2005, according to Energy Commission data.
“As California deepens its reliance on renewables, it’s important to learn from the European experience,” Weisenmiller said.
Piezoeléctrico: Calles, Cristales; Electricidad
Dicen que algunos caminos son pavimentado en oro. La Comisión de EnergÃa de California se investiga tecnologÃa que un dÃa puede pavimentar sus caminos con cristales.
La Comisión de EnergÃa estrenó una subvención de siete millones de dólares para financiar una oportunidad que incluye dos millones de dólares para investigar y desarollar proyectos escala-piloto que use materiales piezoeléctricos incrustrado en carreteras para cosechar energÃa eléctrica.
Materiales piezoeléctricos son cristales que genere electricidad cuando estan sujetado a estreses mecánicas, vibraciones y compresiones – como cuando un vehÃculo se lo cruce. Los cristales se ponen debajo del asfalto. Mientras los carros viajen a través de los cristales, se produce electricidad – los más carros que crucen a través de los cristales, se produce más electricidad. La energÃa está capturado por sensores y almacenada para usar para luces que borde el camino y cajas de llamadas.
Este tecnologÃa ya está en uso en Israel y Italia y tambÃen en plataformas peatonales ubicadas en estaciones de tren en Japón. Hasta las pistas de baile en discotecas en Holandia y en San Francisco los usen.
Proyectos que son fundado por las solicitudes de subvención de la ComisÃon de EnergÃa observarán la factibiliad económica y técnico de las sistemas piezoeléctricas de salida de potencia, esperanza de vida, durabilidad, costo y la potencial de comercialización.
La oportunidad de la subvención tambÃen tiene un segundo componente. Hasta cinco millones de dólares se adjudicarán por la investigación y desarollo de tecnologÃas de vanguardia avanzadas que hagan sistemas de renovables repartidos más económicos para incrementar la eficiencia o ayudarlas generar más energÃa.
La Comisión de EnergÃa tendrá un taller sobre el proceso de la solicitud en el 4 de agosto a las 10 de la mañana en Sacramento. Participantes tendran el chance para recibir un contorno de la oportunidad de subvención, preguntar cuestiones y conversar con otro aplicantes interesados. Detalles sobre el taller y la solicitación son disponibles en la pagina de la web de la programa aquÃ.
La Comisión de EnergÃa se ha comprometido a aumentar la diversidad en el sector de la energÃa y anima los negocios de las minorÃas, mujeres, veteranos discapacitados y LGBT de participar y beneficiarse de sus numerosos programas.
Mill Valley Station Joins Hydrogen Refueling Network
The California Energy Commission welcomed another new hydrogen refueling station to its network.
The Mill Valley station, now open at 570 Redwood Highway, provides Californians with the fueling options they need to consider replacing their petroleum-fueled cars with hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles. Fuel-cell cars, like all-electric plug-in cars, do not emit smog-forming pollution. They help California reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, which warm the earth and change its climate.
The Energy Commission has funded 49 hydrogen stations. It is working to ensure as many of them as possible are open by the end of 2016, with plans to fund up to 100 for the initial introduction of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles in the California marketplace.
Hydrogen fuel-cell electric cars are much quieter to drive than gasoline-fueled cars. Fuel-cell cars have about the same range – 300 miles – on a full tank and they can be larger than the battery electric vehicles that rely on heavy batteries. Filling up a fuel-cell vehicle takes about three to five minutes and is similar to traditional gas cars that receive liquid gas.
California requires at least 33 percent of the hydrogen used by fuel-cell cars to be from renewable energy sources. Some stations will dispense 100 percent renewable hydrogen. Hydrogen refueling stations and vehicles are safe. They have been around for at least 20 years, supporting transit buses.
With transportation responsible for 37 percent of California’s greenhouse gases, zero-emission cars, such as hydrogen fuel-cell electric cars, can help California reach its climate change goals and reduce air pollution. That’s why the Energy Commission is funding hydrogen refueling stations and electric vehicle chargers.
See the status and locations of these stations here.
Funding Opportunity Gets Down To Where The Rubber Meets The Road
They say some roads are paved in gold. The California Energy Commission is looking at technology that might someday pave its roads with crystals.
The Energy Commission released a $7 million grant funding opportunity that includes $2 million to research and develop pilot-scale projects that use piezoelectric materials embedded in roadways to harvest electrical energy.
Piezoelectric materials are crystals that generate electricity when subjected to mechanical stresses, vibrations and compression – like when driven over by a vehicle. The crystals are placed beneath the asphalt. As cars travel across the crystals, electricity is produced – the more cars, the more electricity. The energy is captured by sensors and stored for use in roadside lights and call boxes.
The technology is already in use in Israel and Italy and at a pedestrian platform at a train station in Japan. It has even been incorporated into dance floors at clubs in Holland and in San Francisco.
Projects funded through the Energy Commission’s grant solicitation will assess the technical and economic feasibility of piezoelectric systems including power output, life expectancy, durability, cost and marketing potential.
The grant funding opportunity also has a second component. Up to $5 million will be awarded for the research and development of advanced breakthrough technologies that can make renewable distributed systems more economical by increasing their efficiency or helping them generate more energy.
The Energy Commission will hold a pre-application workshop at 10 a.m. Aug. 4 in Sacramento. Participants can get an overview of the funding opportunity, ask questions and network with other interested applicants. Details about the solicitation and workshop are on the Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge program’s web page.
The Energy Commission is committed to increasing diversity in the energy sector and encourages women, minority, disabled veteran and LGBT businesses to engage in and benefit from its many programs.
Affordable Housing is Part of Energy Commission’s New Solar Homes Partnership Program
As solar is adopted at a growing rate in new homes throughout California a portion of that activity is happening in affordable housing.
For the state’s residents who live in affordable housing, the cost of energy is no small matter.
A 2016 study found that the energy burden for the median low-income household was more than twice that of the average household’s.
NSHP Affordable Housing Capacity Installed by Region
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The goal of the NSHP is to create a self-sustaining market for energy-efficient solar homes while also helping homeowners save money on electric bills.
Through July, the NSHP has installed 7.13 megawatts (MW) of solar on affordable housing projects - roughly 11 percent of NSHP program activity.
So far, installed systems have received $20.5 million in incentives – which equals to 15 percent of the NSHP program activity. To date, the NSHP has installed 59,526 solar systems and 198 MW of capacity statewide.