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December 2006 | Home · Event Calendar · Getting Here · Contact Us | ||||
Upcoming Events
SANDEE Awards Nominations must be received by Monday, January 15, 2007. View a complete calendar of upcoming events.
News BitsClimate Smart, a partnership among the San Diego Foundation, the Birch Aquarium, the San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego Regional Energy Office, has a free publication offering 10 Simple Steps to Help Slow Global Warming. Call the San Diego Regional Energy Office at 858-220-3317 to obtain a copy or visit our Web site at www.sdenergy.org to learn what you can do to make a difference.
Try LED holiday lights! LED (Light-emitting diode) holiday lights can save up to 88 percent of the energy used to light super bright mini sets. They're bright and can be used indoors or outdoors. They also last longer, which saves you money on replacement bulbs. For the first time in California's history, a hydrogen fuel cell will light California’s Christmas tree in the state’s capitol throughout the holiday season. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver lit the tree earlier this week. Although the hydrogen fuel cell technology used to produce electricity is in its infancy, it shows much promise in helping to curb global warming since hydrogen fuel cells do not emit greenhouse gas emissions. When generating electricity, they give off water vapor. Last summer Schwarzenegger signed AB32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 into law to impose caps on greenhouse gas emissions, giving California some of the toughest laws in the country. Possible Plant Closure Employees of SCHOTT Solar, Inc. received notice last month that its solar wafer and module manufacturing plant in Massachusetts may have to close due to the silicon shortage. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARNs) were issued (as required under federal law for manufacturing facilities with more than 200 employees), saying the plant could close within 60 days. If SCHOTT closes the plant, it will keep its headquarters in Roseville, CA and continue shipping modules from its European facilities. On the other hand, Nanosolar, Inc. announced last summer that it will build a solar cell manufacturing facility that will generate enough cells in one year to generate 430 MW of power. Nanosolar has begun building a world-record breaking manufacturing plant and has ordered volume production equipment for the facility. They will use technology similar to roll-to-roll printing presses. Nanosolar, using nanotechnology, will then spray a thin film of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) onto an inexpensive foil, and the minute particles will self assemble to form a layer of semiconductor, which forms the heart of solar cells. Next, they use a similar technology to add a transparent electrode layer on top of the semiconductor.
Tech TipHigh performance windows offer reduced condensation and interior fading, increased comfort, lower operating costs on HVAC systems, improved views, reduced glare, less maintenance, and greater convenience through a combination of hardware and design features. The greatest savings are achieved in the glass portion through the use of energy efficient low-e glazing (see Feb. 2004 and June 2005 issues of Energy Connection for more information), thermally resistant framing materials and appropriate operation styles. Also note that hinged units (e.g., awning, hopper and casement windows) offer twice the ventilation area of slider windows, and (particularly with casements) can also more readily catch prevailing breezes that are parallel to the window wall.
Quotables“As individuals, the change can be as simple as replacing traditional light bulbs with efficient fluorescents. In our communities we should require that new buildings include lights that turn off when people leave the room. We should follow the lead of Tokyo and their energy efficient escalators that shut off when they aren't being used. There are literally thousands of things to be done, too few of which we are being asked to do.”
-- U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Speak OutEnergy Connection is a monthly publication of the San Diego Regional Energy Office. We welcome your feedback and would like to hear from you. To submit comments, questions or suggestions, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
| U.S. Mayors' Global Climate Protection Agreement Signed by San Diego, Chula Vista | ||||
With the City of San Diego’s recent signing of the U.S. Mayors’ Global Climate Protection Agreement, three cities representing more than 50 percent of San Diego County’s population are creating more energy-efficient operations, deploying clean, renewable energy sources, reducing carbon emissions that lead to global warming and adopting land-use policies that reduce urban sprawl and ensure greener, healthier communities for the people they serve.
The energy that powers stars is closer to becoming a new source of energy for us here on Earth. On November 21, the U.S. joined China, the European Union, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation in an agreement to build an international fusion energy project known as ITER (Latin for “the way”). | Inside the San Diego Energy Resource Center |
Featured Display
Induction lamps are fluorescent lamps without cathodes or electrodes, so there is nothing to wear out inside the lamps. Instead, induction lamps are driven by electromagnetic generators that cause the gas inside to excite and give off light. In addition to a long life, induction lamps do not generate the buzzing noise of conventional High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps, and will come on immediately, as compared to the minutes required for HID lamps to come to full brightness. Featured Instrument
Featured Book
Featured Periodical
NOTE: Books, periodicals and videos can also be checked out free of charge. Please call toll-free: 1-866-SDENERGY for more information. - TOP - |
Name: Induction Low Bay Fixture
Name: Vaisala Duct-Mount Humidity/Temperature Transmitter
The Ecological Engineer, written by David R. Macaulay and Jason F. McLennan and published by ECOTone, L.L.C., is a book series that focuses on the most innovative engineers in North America and the practices and principles they use to produce functionally outstanding structures, systems and technologies in a way that embraces the emerging philosophy of sustainable design. The book is organized into three sections: practice, principles and projects.
Pollution Engineering is published monthly by BNP Media II, L.L.C., and addresses the environmental concerns of air, water, and waste. Features articles on current events, emissions monitoring, and process control, products, as well as having a classified marketplace. | Energy Policies, Regulations & Legislative Updates |
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California Solar Initiative (CSI) and Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP-R.06-03-004) As requested by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), final comments regarding the draft California Solar Initiative ( CSI) Program Handbook were due November 17. This handbook will outline the application process for the upcoming California Solar Initiative, due to commence January 1, 2007. On November 14, CPUC President Peevey released his Proposed Decision to conform the CSI to Senate Bill 1, which provides the legislative parameters of the CSI. This decision provides CSI program and budgetary clarifications. Comments on this proposed decision were due December 4, and CPUC commissioners will vote on the proposed decision shortly. Also on November 14, stemming from numerous concerns from the solar industry, the CPUC delayed a decision on Renewable Energy Credit ( REC) ownership. The CPUC will continue to review this decision at an upcoming meeting to be announced. On behalf of the CSI administrators, Southern California Edison ( SCE) chose Alternative Energy Systems Consulting, Inc. (AESC) to create an Expected Performance Based Buydown ( EPBB) calculator, which will allow small system participants to determine their CSI incentive before they apply for the program. AESC released a preliminary product and will receive feedback on the calculator from the CPUC before finalizing it for use in the program. A marketing and outreach workshop for the CSI will be held on Thursday, December 7. The workshop will define the marketing plan the CPUC will undertake in Phase 2 of their CSI proceeding. New Solar Homes Partnership On December 13, the CEC will hold a meeting to consider adoption of the New Solar Homes Partnership ( NSHP) Guidebook. The NSHP sets the administrative and budgetary structure for the new construction residential portion of the CSI. Sunrise Powerlink Transmission Project (A.05-12-014 consolidated with A.06-08-010) The Administrative Law Judge ruled that a workshop will be held in San Diego, on December 13, starting at 10 a.m. in a location to be announced. The goal of this workshop is to introduce alternatives to the Sunrise Powerlink to the Independent System Operator for analysis, and to work to resolve any disagreements about the scope of additional Sunrise alternatives analysis to be prepared by the ISO. Long-Term Procurement Plan (LTPP—R.06-02-013) The long-term resource planning document filing date for Investor Owned Utilities’ is December 11. A status conference will be held on March 22, 2007. On November 17, the ALJ issued a ruling that additional energy auction proposals are due December 12. Energy auction workshops will be held on December 18 and January 10, 2007; post-workshop comments on energy auction proposals are due January 26, 2007, and replies are due February 7, 2007. In addition, workshops on SDG&E’s LTPP filing will be held on December 19 for San Diego Gas & Electric Company. State Propositions: Proposition 87 did not pass. Had it passed, Prop 87 would have imposed a per-barrel severance tax on oil extracted from California ranging from 1.5 percent to 6 percent, depending on the price of a barrel production. In addition, it would have raised $4 billion over time and would have funded a program with research and production incentives for alternative energy, alternative energy vehicles, energy efficient technologies, and for education and training, with the goal to reduce petroleum consumption by 25 percent.
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U.S. Mayors' Global Climate Protection Agreement (cont.)
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Among the U.S. Mayors’ Global Protection Agreement provisions are:
- A 2012 goal of reducing global warming emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels.
- Adopting and enforcing land-use policies that reduce sprawl, preserve open space, and create compact, walkable urban communities.
- Increases in the use of clean, alternative (renewable) energy sources like solar, biomass, hydro-electric power.
- Recovery of landfill gasses for energy production
- Deployment of fleet efficiency programs and transportation options that will reduce fuel use.
“Two roles for government are to lead by example and to educate the public. The City of San Diego is doing both.” said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. “We’re hoping the City’s leadership may act as a catalyst for significant reductions of global warming emissions by others.”
Government alone, Sanders cautioned, cannot make huge reductions in the region’s global warming emissions. “That goal can only be achieved with the help of businesses, institutions and every San Diego resident,” he said.
Adopting more efficient energy habits, while employing renewable energy sources to sate citizens’ voracious energy appetites, will help us eliminate dependence on the oil and gas that fuel our current energy consumption and contribute to our global warming woes.
All communities contribute to the global warming problem, and all of them have an obligation to help resolve it. Some communities may be more adversely impacted than others.
According to Chula Vista City Councilmember Steve Castaneda, U.S. population trends indicate that more Americans are living in small and mid-sized cities than in major metropolitan areas. Often, those smaller towns accommodate a disproportionate number of power plants, landfills and industry (and the freeway infrastructure to support that industry), leaving residents vulnerable to a variety of pollutants, congestion and the adverse environmental fallout of transient populations.
“In order to protect our environmental quality and the integrity of our communities, cities like Chula Vista need to be at the forefront of environmental protection,” said Castaneda. “We encourage the region’s other 15 cities to join us in this important initiative. Global warming is a scientifically-proven phenomenon. We must choose to act before it’s too late.”
Chula Vista was the first city in the world with a population under one million to sign the U.S. Mayors’ Global Climate Protection Agreement.
For information on resources that can help you become more energy efficient – at home or at work – please call the San Diego Regional Energy Office at 858-244-1177.
Fusion Energy (cont.)
Fusion energy, created when light atomic nuclei are fused together at temperatures greater than those of the interior of stars and far above the melting point of any solid container, could provide significant amounts of electricity and generate hydrogen that could power fuel cell vehicles of the future.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, fusion has several advantages. It’s clean since it produces negligible atmospheric emissions and no greenhouse gas emissions. It’s safe because reactors can’t “melt down,” and do not generate the high-level, long-lasting radioactive waste associated with nuclear fission. And, fusion is renewable. Commercial fusion reactors would use lithium and deuterium, both readily available natural resources.
Fusion energy is one component of President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI), given fusion's potential to become an attractive long-range option for the U.S. clean energy portfolio. AEI represents a 22 percent increase in clean-energy research at the DOE that will accelerate breakthroughs in the way our cars, homes and businesses are powered.
The E.U., as the host, will provide 45.46 percent of the construction phase funding. The U.S., as a partner, will participate in the construction phase at the level of 9.09 percent. The U.S. contribution to ITER will consist of 80 percent in-kind components, and about 20 percent in cash to a central fund and for personnel assigned to the project. DOE laboratories will subcontract with industry to build the components of ITER, for which the U.S. is responsible. The total U.S. contribution is $1.122 billion.
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California Solar Initiative (cont.)
As of January 1, 2008, CSI will transition to offer PBIs on systems of 50 kW or larger and then will transition again in 2010 to offer PBIs on systems 30 kW and larger. Participating solar systems can be up to 5MW, but incentives may only be received on the first MW.
One exception to the CSI will be incentives for new residential construction projects; Incentives for these projects will be provided by the CEC New Solar Homes Partnership.
In addition to photovoltaic incentives, CSI will incorporate incentives for electric displacing Solar Thermal projects in future years. SDREO will launch a Solar Water Heating ( SWH) Pilot Program in 2007 pending CPUC approval of a proposal filed earlier this year.
More information can be found on the SDREO California Solar Initiative website at: csi.sdnergy.org or the Go Solar California! website at: www.gosolarcaliforn ia.ca.gov.
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Copyright 2006 San Diego Regional Energy Office
