Renewable Energy Focus
San Diego Union-Tribune - Jun 9 California takes pride in its clean energy credentials, but the state may be poised to take an even more dramatic next step: deriving 100% of its electrical power from renewable energy sources by the end of 2045. “I don’t think it’s a big stretch, politically,” said Senate President pro tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), who introduced a bill in Sacramento that would lay down the zero-carbon sources threshold. The legislation, Senate Bill 100, passed the California state Senate on May 31 on a party-line 25-13 vote and now moves to the Assembly. With the state Legislature in Sacramento dominated by Democrats and two and a half months still remaining in this year’s session, the chances of Senate Bill 100 moving onto Governor Jerry Brown’s desk look promising. Through the state’s Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS), California already has a standard calling for 50% clean energy by 2030. According to recent estimates by the California Energy Commission, the state now obtains about 27% of its electricity from renewables.
Los Angeles Times - Jun 12 The mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach signed an agreement Monday directing the nation’s largest port complex to reduce air pollution by moving toward zero-emission trucks and yard equipment. The two-page declaration signed by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia says the ports “shall advance clean technologies and other efforts to move toward the goal of zero emissions” and establishes targets for zero-emission cargo-handling equipment by 2030 and zero-emission trucks by 2035. Though the city-owned ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have made great strides reducing emissions under their joint 2006 Clean Air Action Plan, they remain the largest single source of smog-forming pollution in Southern California.
Reuters - Jun 14 Wind and solar accounted for more than 10% of U.S. electricity generation for the first time in March, the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Wind and solar power capacity has been growing in the U.S., accounting for an average of up to 7% of electricity in 2016. Texas, a wind power giant, accounted for the largest total amount of wind and solar electricity generation in 2016, according to the EIA.
Reuters - Jun 13 Apple offered a $1 billion bond dedicated to financing clean energy and environmental projects on Tuesday, the first corporate green bond offered since President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. The offering comes over a year after Apple issued its first green bond of $1.5 billion, the largest issued by a U.S. corporation, as a response to the 2015 Paris agreement. Apple said its second green bond is meant to show that businesses are still committed to the goals of the 194-nation accord. The tech giant said proceeds from the green bond sales will be used to finance renewable energy, energy efficiency at Apple facilities and in its supply chain, and procuring safer materials for its products.
Desert Sun - Jun 14 Riverside County could soon be getting its fifth massive solar farm. The 500-megawatt Palen solar project would be built near Desert Center, between Interstate 10 and Joshua Tree National Park. It would join the nearby Desert Sunlight facility — which at 550 megawatts was the world's largest solar farm when it opened — and three projects near the Arizona border, known as Blythe, McCoy, and Genesis. Palen's developer, San Diego-based EDF Renewable Energy, has signed a contract to sell the electricity the plant would generate to the region's major utility, Southern California Edison — a key step before construction can begin.
Northern Nevada Business Weekly - Jun 13 Reno-based Ormat Technologies, Inc. has received the final approval required for the execution of a Power Purchase Agreement between ONGP LLC, a subsidiary of the Ormat, and Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA). Under the agreement, SCPPA will purchase 150 megawatts of power generated by a portfolio of the Ormat’s new and existing geothermal power plants. SCPPA will resell the entire output to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
OPB - Jun 12 The Tri-Cities could soon be home to the largest utility-scale solar power project in Washington. A French company will develop the project on land that used to be part of the Hanford nuclear reservation. The company, Neoen, is hoping to build a 20-megawatt solar project in the desert just north of Richland. Right now, the company is inspecting the land to find the best place for the installation. The project will be built on unused Hanford land that the Department of Energy transferred in 2015 to the Tri-City Development Council, known as TRIDEC. This project will be built on about 100 acres.
