Employing Blockchain Technology In the Energy Sector
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Blockchain technology, the decentralized and encrypted digital ledger of economic transactions, could soon bring big changes to the way communities receive, consume, and sell renewable energy.
Lawrence Orsini, founder and CEO of the energy and tech company LO3Energy, is keen on the technology and discussed his company’s use of blockchain during a June 17 talk at the California Energy Commission.
By using blockchain technology, LO3 has developed a hyper-local energy market and microgrid system, which allows small communities to buy and sell excess renewable power among themselves.
According to Orsini, traditional, vertically integrated utilities rely on business models that often offer ratepayers little choice or transparency about the source of their power.
“There are people in your neighborhood producing renewable energy,” he said. “The problem is they’re producing it in such small quantities that you can’t officially buy it from them.”
Blockchain technology holds promise in the energy industry where networks of peers—like electricity producers and consumers—connect via the grid and depend on shared sets of data.
LO3’s use of encrypted peer-to-peer transactions allow usage data and other electronic records to remain stored locally on smart meters and devices within a community, rather than an off-site server or data center.
This system can also help secure the larger energy market and help prevent problems inherent in a centralized grid, Orsini said.
“You can only pull so many big levers before you end up with a grid failure,” he said. “Whereas if you have more technology at the edge of the network that can help do some of this work in real time… that’s a different way to run (the grid).”
Orsini was involved in the first ever blockchain energy transaction in 2016 when the company he co-founded—TransActive Grid—enabled a peer-to-peer transaction of renewable energy in Brooklyn.
Today there are more than a hundred blockchain startups operating in the energy realm.
California Energy Commission Seeks Comment on Preliminary Draft Research Roadmap
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The California Energy Commission will host an online webinar June 28 to collect public comments on a plan for future research on innovative clean energy technologies.
The webinar on the preliminary draft research roadmap begins at 10 a.m. Participation is by WebEx only.
In 2018, the Energy Commission contracted with the technology and management consulting firm Energetics Inc. to develop a roadmap for prioritizing future Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) investments. The opportunities should focus on increasing the cost competitiveness, performance, flexibility, and reliability of utility-scale renewable energy generation in California. The investments will benefit investor-owned utility electric ratepayers.
The Energy Commission invests about $130 million annually through the EPIC program for scientific and technological research to accelerate the transformation of the electricity sector to meet the state’s energy and climate goals.
The research roadmap will cover topics and performance indicators in the following areas:
• Solar power
• Land-based wind
• Offshore wind
• Bioenergy
• Small hydropower
• Geothermal
• Grid infrastructure
• Energy storage
Webinar presentations and discussions will address each area. Public input should be submitted though the Energy Commission’s electronic commenting page by July 12. The agenda, preliminary roadmap, and a technical assessment will be posted to the Research Idea Exchange docket before the workshop.
The draft roadmap is scheduled to be available for comment this winter. Plans call for the roadmap to be published by mid-2020.
Largest World War II Military Reservation Getting Its Day in the Sun
A remote area of the Mojave Desert in Southern California holds many clues to what was the largest military reservation during World War II.
That military reservation was the Desert Training Center, established in 1942. At 18,000 square miles, it was the largest Army base on the planet and where one million troops trained for desert warfare. The goal: eventual battle against Nazi troops occupying North Africa during the war.
Sadly, that little known piece of American military history is under threat of disappearing.
To avoid that threat, fieldwork is underway by five specialists at the California Energy Commission, including two staff archaeologists.
The staff are involved in a historical documentation venture called the Desert Training Center Cultural Landscape project. The cultural resources being documented include tank tracks, foxholes, and gun placements. They also include the remains of airfields, camps, hospitals, and maneuver areas.
“While individually these resources may seem insignificant, as part of the larger picture of what was happening during Desert Training Center activities, they are important and should be documented,” said Matt Braun, a cultural resources specialist with the Energy Commission.
“We want to know about it and we want to record it and get that piece of history locked down before it is gone,” Braun said.
Preservation of landscapes is not the Energy Commission’s most common purview. The project work stems from the Energy Commission’s licensing process, which seeks to offset the cumulative environmental impacts from the construction of solar thermal power plants.
The Desert Training project is one of two efforts in the Mojave Desert that were required as part of the Energy Commission’s licensing of the Blythe Solar Power Project and the Genesis Solar Energy Project.
The Prehistoric Trails Network Cultural Landscape project is working to document and inventory tribal economic and social networks including trails, occupation sites, rock art, and related natural features. The Energy Commission is collaborating with the Fort Mojave Soboba and Colorado River Indian Tribes.
The Blythe and Genesis solar projects contributed to a mitigation fund to offset cumulative impacts on the environment, with the contribution amount based on the acreage of each project.
BuildZero Net Founder Discusses Access to Building Energy Data
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A new, open-access software is in the works to give the public access to building energy data.
In early June, BuildZero founder Allen Gilliland spoke at the California Energy Commission to present his concept - a virtual, digital model of major cities where users can view and compare buildings by energy use and other features.
Gilliland’s work with BuildZero is part of his interest in energy efficiency, which began with the 2006 passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act (Assembly Bill 32), which set a greenhouse gas emission reduction target for 2020. Gilliland received a resolution from the Energy Commission for building the first zero-net energy home in California.
BuildZero is interested in helping building owners reach a zero emission goal and reduce utility bills. The goal is “to create social value through a revolutionary platform to drive climate action,” Gilliland said.
BuildZero’s interactive view and tools enable users, such as local governments, research institutions, and construction companies to share best practices. Users can use this information to see what attributes may help turn an underperforming building into a top energy efficient property. Doing so produces benefits such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving the environment, and a more pleasant surrounding for building users.
Gilliland said there are several factors that are hampering the implementation of climate policy, including a lack of public knowledge and access to energy issues. His app aims to help users improve their knowledge about building energy efficiency.
Some of BuildZero’s efforts include securing pilot cities to start implementation, developing partnerships with government organizations, and obtaining funding, he said.
Energy Commissioner Discusses How Collaboration Is Key To Decarbonization
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Building energy efficiency standards have been vital in California’s march toward its clean energy and decarbonization goals. New buildings already perform at a very high level, but decarbonizing fully will require a strong emphasis on collaboration, said California Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister.
During a keynote speech at the Sustainability Facilities Forum in mid-May in Sacramento, McAllister discussed the need for working with the marketplace, local governments, and others.
“We have an incredible innovation economy in California,” McAllister said. “Startups are creating new energy technologies, and as policy makers we need to enable those technologies and approaches to thrive. That doesn’t happen without the collaboration of state and local governments and private sector actors.”
McAllister said local governments are dealing with limited resources. The Energy Commission can help bridge some gaps by providing grants and loans. These funds can be used towards local projects, as well as local innovations that can be replicated in other regions.
Local jurisdictions that adopt stretch codes - requirements that are more stringent than the statewide building code – provide essential leadership, he said.
“Energy efficiency is happening at the local level,” McAllister continued. “Currently over 20 city and county ordinances push beyond the state energy code. They are expanding the set of solutions, and we learn from them.”
Through the standards process, the Energy Commission analyzes what pieces are cost effective to implement statewide, he said. The statewide building energy standards are updated every three years.
The 2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards are the first in the nation to require solar photovoltaic systems with new homes. The 2019 Standards focused on four key areas: smart residential photovoltaic systems, updated thermal envelope standards (preventing heat transfer from the interior to exterior and vice versa), residential and nonresidential ventilation requirements, and nonresidential lighting requirements. These standards will take effect on January 1, 2020.
Development of the proposed 2022 Standards is in the early stage. That standards update will focus on multifamily housing and commercial properties, with a particular eye toward facilitating the construction of multifamily housing by clarifying and streamlining the applicable requirements.