News for August 06, 2002

Editorials on the Legislative Situation in California

Power Play: Big Energy vs. Solar [Hochschild Editorial 8/11]

Time to Clear Up California's Solar Energy Future [Ed Smeloff City of San Francisco 8/8]

A message from Bonnie Raitt and Robert Redford...DON'T LET THE UTILITIES TURN OUT THE LIGHTS ON SOLAR ENERGY[8/8]

Don't let the sun set on solar energy (Mayor of San Diego - Dick Murphy - San Diego) 8-9-02

ex-Dögz - WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS?[Nick Welsh Column SB 8-8-02]

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Debut of First Zero Energy Home in Livermore

ConSol Energy Consultants Moving Ahead with Zero Energy Homes

Ebb and flow energy - Tidal Energy for San Francisco

UV-repellent clothing - a growing market

Pomona College Student solar powers organic farm

Seeking the Edge of the Solar System - Voyager

Solar dealer locates in Oroville

California Retailer's Association Signs Energy Deal With TruePricing

Solar-Powered Aircraft Delivers Wireless Broadband

IN BRIEF

Legislative Update August 2002 - Solar California - The State legislators are back in session as of August 5. SB 530, which will enable the CEC Renewable Energy Buydown and PIER (Research) programs to continue for another 5 years, is up for a vote this week (if not today!). CCEnergy has put together a nice synopsis of the bill, and who to write letters to, on their website. Please take a moment today to review this information, write a letter, and FAX it to the appropriate senator or assemblyperson. While you're in writing mode, take a look at the information on AB 58, the net metering bill. AB 58 will be addressed in the Assembly next monday. This one is a double-edged sword. ie. there are parts in there that are good - example: removing the sunset clause on large (10kW -1 MW) systems, while others are real stinkers example: systems larger than 10kW would be compensated at wholesale generation rates for any excess sent to the grid, and be required to switch to Time-of-Use meters. So you can see that we want this bill to pass, but some of the language needs to be cleaned up. Read more here, then write and voice your opinion. Please fax a copy of any letters you send to 815-461-1465. thx. Tor

I'll be posting period updates on the Legislation Page.

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News from VoteSolar - San Diego Shines - "In mid-July, Vote Solar went to San Diego to meet with Mayor Dick Murphy to pitch him on the benefits of a solar bond. San Diego receives more annual sunlight than any city in California, pays the highest electricity rates, and is out of compliance with regional clean air standards. In short, the city is an ideal candidate for a large scale solar program. At the conclusion of the two hour meeting, the Mayor and his environmental task force expressed interest in moving forward with a solar bond initiative for San Diego in six months, when their library bond is finished. We’re very encouraged by this and will continue to work closely with San Diego city officials and community groups to as the process moves forward". source:. David Hochschild email 2002.7.22

2 New LBNL Reports on State Support for Renewable Energy - Two recently released LBNL reports by Mark Bolinger and Ryan Wiser that analyze state clean energy fund support for renewables are now available. To date, 15 states have created so-called "clean energy funds," most-often financed by system-benefits charges (SBC) on electricity bills. Over the next decade, these funds will collect more than $3 billion in aggregate to be allocated in support of renewable energy, and therefore merit attention. "Customer-Sited PV: A Survey of Clean Energy Fund Support" is structured into two main sections, the first of which analyzes experience with the most widely implemented form of state support for PV to date: capital cost "buy-down" programs. This section summarizes buy-down program results, and highlights several innovative features as well as broader issues and challenges. The second section reviews state experience in supporting PV through alternative means (i.e., through approaches other than buy-down programs), a broad category that includes competitive solicitations, infrastructure development, low-cost financing, equity investments, bulk purchases, project leasing, niche markets, feasibility studies, and green tags. To date, more than 24 MW of PV capacity have been installed or reserved under these programs in aggregate. "Utility-Scale Renewable Energy Projects: A Survey of Clean Energy Fund Support" reviews state experience with the 3 most common forms of incentives used to support large (> 1 MW) renewables projects to date: grants, forgivable loans, and production incentives. The report focuses primarily (though not exclusively) on wind power, contrasting experience in California and Pennsylvania to highlight the importance of demand to a project's completion and success. The report also pays considerable attention to the interaction of state incentives with the federal production tax credit (PTC) for wind and closed-loop biomass power. Both reports can be downloaded from LBNL's renewable energy publications web site at . Source: E-mail from Mark Bolinger, LBNL 2002.7.17

New Small Wind Energy Website for Local Governments - The California Energy Commission and the California Wind Energy Consortium have designed a website specifically for Local Governments. The new website offers links to resources on the siting/permitting of small turbines, environmental benefits and effects, state incentive programs, wind data and maps, technology development, and other information. Small wind turbines provide clean electricity to a home or business and generally have an output of up to 10 kilowatts. Local governments are receiving an increasing number of planning applications for small wind turbines, partially due to California's incentive programs for the installation of these systems.The new website provides resources to these authorities so they can make informed decisions about incoming applications and future plans for incorporating wind-generated energy into their electricity mix. For more information, contact Joyce Loring with the PIER Renewables Program at the California Energy Commission: (916) 654-4662, Jloring@energy.state.ca.us

SolarBee® Video available - Previously reported in Solar e-Clips, you can now view the SolarBee in action on the web, download a version of it or order a copy to be sent to you. The recently introduced high-flow SolarBee Model SB10000 is featured. The SB10000 achieves direct flows of 3,000 gpm and over 10,000 gpm total flow(including induced flow) and provides excellent circulation(mixing) in wastewater ponds and a large area of influence in freshwater reservoirs,lakes and wastewater ponds.