With more than 30 daily flights that connect travelers to destinations across the globe, the Monterey Regional Airport serves nearly 400,000 commercial passengers every year. The airport has been exploring ways to keep energy costs down while ensuring smooth operations for passengers.

Earlier this year, the Regional Airport received a $3 million low-interest loan from the California Energy Commission. The funds allowed the airport to install an 826-kilowatt solar array that will produce 1.5 million kilowatt hours of clean energy annually, which is enough electricity to power 11 homes a year. The solar array is expected to save the airport $5.5 million in energy savings over 25 years.

At a Sept. 21 event to “flip the switch” on the solar array, Bryan Early, special advisor to Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister, recognized the airport for its leadership in sustainable energy.

Ready to flip the switch @MontereyAirport. New solar panels funded w/ #calenergy #EnergyEfficiency loan @AsmMarkStone @CityofMonterey☀️ ✈️⚡ pic.twitter.com/IBkkZLaaZ9

— CA Energy Commission (@CalEnergy) September 21, 2017

"City, county and state officials today celebrate efforts to save energy and help achieve the state's ambitious energy goals,” Early said. “Because of the tremendous financial savings that these types of projects can generate, partners – like the Monterey Regional Airport – demonstrate that we can aspire to achieve sustainable outcomes while also improving community resources."

The three-acre ground-mounted solar system tracks the movement of the sun throughout the day, ensuring maximum renewable energy production and streamlined costs using a proven tracking technology. Also prioritized in the system’s design is reflectivity, or glare, which is a serious consideration in any site near an airport.

Funds for the project came from the Energy Commission’s Energy Conservation Assistance Act program. The program provides low- and no- interest loans and technical support to cities, counties, special districts, public schools, and colleges to implement energy efficiency projects.

Since the program began – almost 40 years ago – the Energy Commission has loaned $408 million to 860 entities.

New @MontereyAirport solar panels support people, save money, & protect the environment @AsmMarkStone @CityofMonterey #calenergy ☀️✈️⚡ pic.twitter.com/7dQp6KB4MX

— CA Energy Commission (@CalEnergy) September 22, 2017

Is it possible for a hospital to save money on energy, reduce its carbon footprint and add the option of critical power during power outages in one project?

That is the goal of a microgrid demonstration project installed at the Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center in Richmond.

The renewable microgrid system, designed and engineered by the Los Angeles-based Charge Bliss, will demonstrate the ability to provide 365,000 kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, reduce peak demand by up to 200 kilowatts (kW), and potentially improve building power quality and efficiency.

The California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program provided $4.7 million for the project. The EPIC program supports innovations and strategies to advance clean energy technologies that help California meet its energy and climate goals.

The other project partners, OSIsoft and Princeton Power Systems, provided the remaining $2 million for the demonstration project.

“The KP Richmond project would not exist were it not for the Energy Commission,” said David Bliss, Charge Bliss’ chief executive officer.

David Bliss of @chargebliss details how a #CalEnergy-funded demonstration may help CA hospitals transition to #Microgrids & #Renewables 🏥⚡️ pic.twitter.com/ONzIy3B5SU

— CA Energy Commission (@CalEnergy) September 8, 2017

The Energy Commission support was crucial to facilitate the cutting edge combination of solar, batteries, and control systems into one at a California hospital, Bliss said.

A 250-kW solar photovoltaic structure, the largest component of the project, is installed over the top floor of KP’s parking garage. The system includes a 1-megawatt battery storage unit, smart inverters, and a microgrid controller.

The project is a timely one for hospitals because of extreme climate events that can lead to power outages. A microgrid can keep power flowing to a hospital by separating or “islanding” it from the central utility grid. When that happens, the microgrid can provide at least three hours of power to select critical systems and automate demand response to reduce electrical demand.

The project’s ability to support hospital operations during outages may convince the state’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, which oversees information about California’s healthcare infrastructure, to allow similar microgrids at other hospitals, Bliss said.

Aerial video courtesy of Charge Bliss:

There is no surprise in the latest report about electricity capacity and generation from the California Energy Commission: California continues moving away from fossil fuels as the state’s renewable energy portfolio expands.

“California’s policies are moving us towards more clean, reliable and affordable energy,” said California Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. “Significant progress had been made in the electricity sector. We need to expand the use of clean energy to remove dirty, carbon fuels from the transportation sector.”

The tracking progress report compares “electric power capacity” and “electric power generation” over the past 16 years. Capacity reflects the total capability of various types of facilities to generate electricity while generation shows the actual generation of electricity produced.

Natural gas remained the largest portion of in-state installed capacity although it has declined in recent years. Meantime, solar and wind have increased. In 2016, solar photovoltaic capacity was 8,618 megawatts (MW) and solar thermal capacity was 1,249 MW. That’s enough electricity to power more than 3 million average California homes. The recent expansion of utility-scale photovoltaic solar included new projects in Kern, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Weather played a factor when looking at electricity generation in 2016. California’s hydroelectric generation doubled in 2016 as a result of storms and improved snowpack conditions. As hydroelectric generation increased, natural gas-fired electric generation decreased. At the same time, there was significant double-digit growth in both solar photovoltaic generation and wind generation. Total in-state solar generation increased nearly 32 percent from 2015. Wind generation increased nearly 11 percent.

More energy efficient technologies on how to keep dairy cows cool in the heat are being tested at the University of California, Davis.

The UC Davis Department of Animal Science and the Western Cooling Efficiency Center is researching innovative cooling techniques. The project is part of a four-year, $1 million grant from the California Energy Commission to help reduce energy and water use in California’s dairy industry.

The grant funds come from the Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which supports innovation and strategies to advance clean energy technologies that help California meet its energy and climate goals.

Milk is California’s most valued agricultural commodity with $9.4 billion in sales in 2014. Heat stress is a major cause of diminished milk production in dairy cows, with losses from heat stress exceeding $800 million annually.

Professor Cassandra Tucker explains how & why @ucdavis' Animal Science Department is cooling cows. Another #CalEnergy EPIC grant at work.🐄⚡️ pic.twitter.com/G7KoBIjvby

— CA Energy Commission (@CalEnergy) September 7, 2017

“The process of rumination, where cows ferment their food, produces a lot of heat, as does milk production itself,” said Cassandra Tucker, a professor in the Department of Animal Science. “When the outside temperatures also rise, it’s a challenge for the animal in how she’s going to try to keep cool.”

The intense heat of summer can significantly affect cow’s milk production. Heat stress not only can cause low milk production but it can also cause fertility issues and sometimes even death.

The innovative cooling methods being tested are designed to reduce water use up to 86 percent and electricity use up to 38 percent compared to conventional methods.

Those methods, which include using high velocity fans and sprinkling the cows with water, use a lot of water and electricity. About 11,000 gallons of water is used per cow per year, said Theresa Pistochini, engineering manager for the Western Cooling Efficiency Center.

The cooling methods being tested are conduction cooling and convection cooling. Conduction cooling is where cooling mats and bedding are placed on the floor where the cows lie down. Energy use is reduced because water flowing through the mats is cooled using an evaporative chiller.

Cows spend 12 to 15 hours a day using the beds, Tucker said.

Convection cooling uses a high-efficiency direct evaporative cooler that directs cool air through a duct onto the cows for when they are feeding or lying down.

The data collected from the research will help determine which technology will be demonstrated at a large-scale dairy in Tulare later in the project.

Graphic courtesy of UC Davis.

Primus Power CEO Tom Stepien was asked recently what chance his company would have had in successfully developing its battery storage system without support from the California Energy Commission. His response was “darned near zero.”

In 2005, Primus received a $95,000 Energy Commission research grant to build and install a low-cost, energy storage battery system for utility substation backup power. A few years later, the Hayward-based company received a $1 million grant from the Energy Commission to field test a 25-megawatt flow battery system.

Both were a success, and since then, Primus has experienced tremendous growth and seen global interest in its products. It now has a workforce of 50 employees, holds 34 patents from nine countries or regions and has 26 additional patents pending.

Stepien thanked the Energy Commission for its support in a note: “Your funding has greatly assisted Primus. Thank you. Together, we are creating new jobs, helping California achieve its energy goals and creating a cleaner, more reliable and more efficient electric grid.”

The company has secured $94 million in venture capital financing from a variety of investors and $20 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Primus’ energy storage technologies and products can be found operating at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, and sites in Rancho Cucamonga and Bellevue, Washington. Next year, it expects to ship its batteries throughout the world, including the United Kingdom, China, and South Africa. Recently, Microsoft announced a pilot program with Primus and other energy storage companies to evaluate the performance of long-duration flow batteries at Microsoft’s data centers.

The California Energy Commission, a strong supporter of driving electric, is celebrating National Drive Electric Week September 9 to 17, a nationwide celebration to spread awareness about the accessibility and benefits of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).

The Energy Commission is the lead state agency working to invest in the infrastructure to charge these vehicles and advance a variety of medium- and heavy-duty electric technologies.

Electric vehicles of all kinds play an important role in California’s efforts to reach its ambitious climate and air quality goals, which will produce environmental and public health benefits and help create jobs. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. has set a goal of getting 1.5 million electric and other zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on California roads by 2025.

“The Energy Commission is pleased to invest in the infrastructure and technologies that are helping to drive the transition to clean, zero-emission electric vehicles in communities throughout the state,” said California Energy Commissioner Janea A. Scott. “These advanced electric technologies are powering everything from last mile delivery trucks to public transit and school buses to personal cars that are easy and cost-efficient to charge, and fun to drive.”

#CalEnergy staff shows how easy it is to plug in & charge up an #EV. #NDEW2017 🔌🔋🚗⚡️@NatDriveElecWk events near you: https://t.co/SKh8dPbE1K pic.twitter.com/QlcTItaD8r

— CA Energy Commission (@CalEnergy) September 12, 2017

Through the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP), the Energy Commission has invested more than $80 million to support the installation of almost 8,000 charging stations throughout the state, according to the latest tracking progress report on zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure.

These investments have supported charging stations being installed along highway corridors, in state parks and public schools—and at a parking structure across from Levi’s Stadium, where San Francisco 49ers fans can charge their cars while catching a game.

The city of Torrance installed chargers through the “One Mile, One Charger” project, which aims to ensure that PEV drivers are never more than one mile from a charging station. The Energy Commission’s support also helped the city of Burbank install curbside charging stations, providing a new and unique way of charging electric vehicles.

In addition to leading state support for charging infrastructure, the Energy Commission also oversees efforts to accelerate advancement and adoption of electric technologies in a variety of medium- and heavy- duty vehicles, which contribute significant amounts of criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases in California.

The Energy Commission has awarded more than $94 million in ARFVTP funds to support development and deployment of electric technologies in these vehicles, including in municipal and private fleets, public transit vehicles and school buses. These funds also support the adoption of freight vehicles and equipment through a variety of projects, including demonstrations at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles that will help improve air quality in surrounding communities severely impacted by air pollution.

The Energy Commission is helping to put Californians to work by supporting manufacturing projects, and workforce training and development throughout the state to promote adoption of these technologies.

Working with private and public partners, the Energy Commission will continue to support the transition to electric- and other zero-emission technologies throughout the state to provide more Californians the opportunity to drive - or ride - electric.

CA is a leader in the adoption of ZEV, & #CalEnergy is the lead agency supporting installation of #EV charging infrastructure. #NDEW2017 🚗⚡️ pic.twitter.com/JjjdTGx8D0

— CA Energy Commission (@CalEnergy) September 11, 2017

Nevados Engineering, developer of all-terrain tracking systems that reduce the costs of solar energy projects, received $3 million in research funds to support further development of its technology.

The San Francisco-based company received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot Initiative and $1 million in matching funds from the California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program.

The funds will help Nevados continue developing its innovative tracking system which allows solar developers to build on uneven land.

“The world is not flat,” said Yezin Taha, Nevados Engineering co-founder and CEO. “More than one billion dollars was spent last year alone to flatten land for solar development projects. Our solution alleviates the tremendous cost of excavation and grading.”

Nevados is testing a full-scale solar project on rolling terrain near Davis. It is also testing a new control system that optimizes the energy output of the project’s four solar modules in real time.

Nevados is a portfolio company of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), a central coordinating hub for clean energy start-up companies in the Los Angeles area. LACI received a $5 million EPIC grant last year to support clean energy entrepreneurship and networking opportunities in the Southern California coastal region.

“This is a good example of how state and federal agencies can work together to support innovation,” said Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. “And a good example of how partnerships such as the one between the Energy Commission and LACI, work to help bring innovative clean energy technologies to the marketplace.”

The SunShot Initiative supports research to drive down the cost of solar electricity, and the EPIC program funds innovations and strategies that advance clean energy technologies.

The California Energy Commission has learned that scam artists have been using the agency’s Renewable Call Center phone number as part of a “spoofing” scam to solicit installation of solar systems or to gain utility bill information.

Consumers should know that the Energy Commission does not make unsolicited calls to consumers for any reason. If someone calls and says they are from the Energy Commission, it is a scam and should be reported to law enforcement. With the current scam, a third party has been misrepresenting itself by using the Renewable Call Center number as the caller ID.

The Energy Commission is working with law enforcement to rectify the situation. Consumers are being asked to be alert for phone scams that may use the Energy Commission’s name or phone number.

The Energy Commission's toll-free Renewable Call Center phone number is a source for the public to contact when seeking information or help on renewable energy programs such the New Solar Homes Partnership program.

The call center’s toll-free number is 844-454-2906 or 916-653-0237 when calling outside California. The call center takes calls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Energy Commission apologizes for the inconvenience this has caused.

Two regional clean energy hubs that received support from the California Energy Commission got another boost after being selected for federal grants that will help increase private sector support of energy innovations.

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and Activation Energy of Berkeley are among 11 projects selected to receive $7.8 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Technology-to-Market Program to develop and test new ways to integrate emerging technologies into the energy industry. The funds, which were announced in August, will also help LACI and Activation Energy develop new methods to support clean energy entrepreneurs and examine new concepts for unlocking private capital to support energy innovation.

Both organizations were awarded a $5 million grant last year through an Energy Commission initiative to create a statewide innovation ecosystem to support clean energy entrepreneurship. The initiative is funded through the Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge program – often called EPIC -- which invests in clean energy research.

“This illustrates how state and federal agencies can support innovation,” said Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. “It is also a good example of the partnerships that the Energy Commission has created with cleantech incubators in Los Angeles and the Bay Area to bring innovative clean energy technologies to the marketplace.”

LACI is a central coordinating hub for clean energy start-up companies in the Los Angeles area. Activation Energy plays the same role for companies in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The two groups are helping to transform the energy sector in their regions by supporting innovators who are developing clean energy technology concepts. These hubs connect entrepreneurs with industry and finance leaders and provide mentoring services, strategic guidance and educational programming. The hubs also provide access to the resources and facilities entrepreneurs need to commercialize their innovations.

California’s growing hydrogen refueling network has added three new stations since June, further bolstering the state’s global leadership in the adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) as part of its broader strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.

Stations opened in the city of San Ramon in the East Bay and the cities of Lawndale and Torrance in the Los Angeles area—bringing the number of stations in the state to 30. The expanding network provides the convenient access to fueling options needed to get more Californians to abandon their petroleum-fueled car and get behind the wheel of a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle.

San Ramon's newest hydrogen station, located at 4475 Norris Canyon Road.

“The Energy Commission is committed to investing in a network of conveniently-located refueling stations to support the fuel cell electric cars that are on the road now and to encourage more consumers to consider zero-emission options,” said California Energy Commissioner Janea A. Scott.

With transportation responsible for nearly 40 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, the state is working to get 1.5 million ZEVs, such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, on California roads by 2025.

State initiatives to support adoption of these vehicles include the California Energy Commission’s commitment to invest in an initial network of 100 public hydrogen stations across California. The public-private effort to build a network on this scale is the first of its kind in the world.

Lawndale's newest hydrogen station, located at 15606 Inglewood Avenue.

The Energy Commission has funded 60 hydrogen stations, with 30 now open. Just since June, the Energy Commission has approved funding to develop 16 stations.

Fuel cell cars run upwards of 300 miles on a full tank, about the same distance as gasoline-fueled cars. It also takes roughly the same amount of time to fill the tank for both types of vehicles - three to five minutes.

See the status and locations of the stations here.