Renewable Energy Focus
The Desert Sun - Sep 1 The federal government is stepping up its commitment to the Salton Sea and exploring the possibility of buying geothermal energy from the Imperial Valley, in a series of moves that could help fund restoration projects at California's largest lake and maybe pave the way for a multi-state agreement to use less Colorado River water. The new Salton Sea initiatives include a $30 million funding commitment from the federal government, part of a state-federal agreement designed to speed up projects that protect human health and the environment; a "request for information" through which the federal government will explore whether it can buy between 100 and 250 megawatts of geothermal power from the Salton Sea area; and possible funding from a nonprofit called the Water Funder Initiative, which has set a goal of providing $10 million over five years to support Salton Sea restoration.
Renewable Energy World - Aug 25 Renewable energy is finally starting to replace fossil fuel sources of electric generation across the nation. According to data released on August 24 by the U.S. Energy Information Agency, renewable energy in the U.S. through the first half of 2016, including hydro-electric power, biomass, geothermal, wind, and solar (including distributed solar), provided 16.9 percent of electricity generation. In all of 2015, that number was 13.7 percent. Non-hydro renewable energy was 9.2 percent of U.S. electric generation through the first half of 2016. For all of 2015, it was 7.6 percent.
PV Magazine - Aug 30 Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) has opened a new program for shared renewables, issuing a call this week for proposals for developers to submit solar and other renewable energy projects from 500 kW to 20 MW. The Regional Renewable Choice program follows on PG&E’s Solar Choice program, and expands eligible projects to include wind, biomass, and other renewable energy sources. Under the program, PG&E customers can elect to subscribe to renewable energy projects to cover between 25-100% of their electricity use.
San Jose Mercury News - Aug 31 The cities of Piedmont, Fremont, San Francisco, and Oakland and employers such as Google, Salesforce, and Genentech are partnering to make it easier for Bay Area homeowners to go solar through the 2016 Bay Area SunShares program. Under the SunShares program, any Bay Area resident (as well as residents of Sacramento and Yolo counties) can purchase discounted Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs), including the all-electric Nissan Leaf and the Toyota Mirai, a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, or install rooftop solar at prices well below market rates. The program also offers free workshops that can help homeowners, drivers, and renters understand their clean energy options. Previous SunShares programs have led to almost 5 megawatts of new solar equipment installed across Northern California, enough to power more than 820 homes.
Utility Dive - Sep 1 Paul Thomsen, chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, ruled that SolarCity does not have enough "direct and substantive" interest to act as an intervenor in NV Energy's grandfathering proposals for rooftop solar, despite contracts with Nevada residents for solar arrays. SolarCity's customers are already adequately represented by the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, Thomsen ruled on Monday. The decision does not bar SolarCity from filing testimony in upcoming rate cases.
Portland Business Journal - Aug 31 After releasing a draft report last month that called for big changes to key state solar policies, the Oregon Public Utility Commission is slowing down the process and now says it will submit “a more fully vetted report” to the legislature in late October, six weeks after a mid-September deadline set by lawmakers. The draft report had angered solar companies and renewable energy advocates, who said it painted an overly optimistic picture of solar’s progress in the state. They were especially outraged by a recommendation to end “net metering” for customers of the state’s two big investor-owned utilities, Portland General Electric (PGE) and PacifiCorp. PGE enthusiastically backed that recommendation, and PacifiCorp was generally supportive.
Long Beach Press-Telegram - Aug 31 The installation of new solar panels at two Cal State Long Beach parking lots may provide a means for the campus to satisfy some 15 percent of its electrical needs. Cal State Long Beach and SunPower Corp. officials announced Wednesday that construction of the solar panels is in progress. The solar systems are expected to provide power to campus facilities before the close of 2017. SunPower reported the 4.8-megawatt system is expected to provide an amount of electricity that would be sufficient to power 1,200 California homes, based on Solar Energy Industries Association guidelines.
GreenBiz - Sep 1 Chief among Kaiser Permanente’s climate action goals is becoming carbon net positive by buying enough clean energy and carbon offsets to remove more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it emits. Kaiser is pursuing this through a mix of onsite and offsite solar projects. This has led the company to sign a 20-year PPA with NRG Energy to add 70 megawatts of solar arrays at 85 hospitals in California. Under this agreement, NRG will own and operate these onsite facilities, mostly carport canopies, and Kaiser will purchase the output at rates generally lower than utilities' rates. But onsite solar wasn’t enough to meet Kaiser’s massive energy demands, which is why the company also has embraced virtual PPAs for offsite projects. Currently, Kaiser has two such projects already underway: the 100-megawatt Blythe Solar Project in Riverside County and the 43-megawatt Golden Hills Wind Project.
