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| September 2004 | Home · Event Calendar · Getting Here · Contact Us | ||||
Upcoming EventsNatural Gas Cost Control Web-Seminar Date: 9/13/2004 Lighting Technologies for Efficiency Date: 9/14/2004 Site Planning, Building Envelope, Landscaping Date: 9/14/2004 Rebuild Overview: Presentation of Program Workshops Date: 9/16/2004 Green Building 101: Greening the Way We Build - An Overview Date: 9/21/2004 Green Building 150: Green Building Basics for Municipal Staff Date: 9/21/2004 To view a complete calendar of upcoming events, click here. News Bits
As part of community outreach efforts, SDREO is going beyond energy and doing even more to keep San Diego clean, healthy and beautiful. On Saturday, August 28, “Team SD Energy” joined the Surfrider Foundation in Ocean Beach to participate in their bimonthly beach cleanup. (Beach cleanups are always open to anyone who wishes to participate.) For more information, contact Adrienne at (858) 244-1177 or visit the Surfrider Foundation website at www.surfridersd.org. Announcing New Hire SDREO would like to announce the hiring of David Gordon who joins us as program manager for our TAP and BEST programs. A warm welcome to Dave! ACEEE Summer Study Stephen Kapp from SDREO presented an informal session entitled Energy, Economics & The Environment - Maximizing Value at Each Point in the Decision Cycle" at the 2004 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings at the end of August. Over 550 people, including some international attendees participated in engaging discussions, problem-solving and establishment of best practices to maximize energy efficiency while decreasing environmental impacts from our buildings and communities. Tech TipEquipment part-load performance is a critical consideration for HVAC sizing. Most heating and cooling equipment only operates at their rated, peak efficiency when fully loaded (at or near maximum output). However, most HVAC systems are sized to meet design heating and cooling conditions that historically occur only 1% to 2.5% of the time. In addition, most equipment is further oversized to handle warm-up/cool-down loads, to provide a factor of safety, or as a contingency for expansions. Systems almost never operate at full load. In fact, most systems operate at 50% or less of their capacity. So look closely at part-load performance ratings such as Integrated Part Load Values (IPLV's) for chillers which show cooling performance expressed as kW/ton at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% load points. This will provide a better picture of the anticipated peak and operating electrical loads and energy costs.
Quotables“Certainly, there are very good reasons why transmission policy, and as a consequence, investment, is at a standstill. But if 50 million Americans were to lose their power again, would they be sympathetic to an industry that was recently described by one Infocast panelist as ‘an aging overstressed muddled beast mired in a swamp of indecision, conflict, and meetings?’” - Richard Stavros, Executive Editor, Public Utilities Fortnightly 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 .
| SDREO Holds Fuel Cell Technology ShowcasePublic interest at an all-time highWith the increase in gasoline prices and energy costs, interest in fuel cells as an alternative technology has never been higher. There are many reasons why interest in fuel cells is increasing – including supply security, power quality and high reliability. But, the most important reasons are environmental and pricing. SDG&E Celebrates 1500th Net Metering CustomerSDREO & Supervisor Dianne Jacob help mark occasionAlpine, CA - Two months ago, Henk Tysma didn't know his 13 kW photovoltaic system would be an SDG&E milestone. However, when the final grid connection to his car rental agency in Alpine was formally approved, he became SDG&E's 1500th Net Metering* customer. So it was time to celebrate with a media event. Program SpotlightRebuild a Greener San Diego | ||||
"Team SD Energy" Cleans San Diego Beaches
| Inside the San Diego Energy Resource Center |
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Featured Display
| Energy Policies, Regulations & Legislative Updates |
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• AB135 that would authorize the CEC to expend up to $60,000,000 of funding allocated to the Renewable Resources Trust Fund for emerging renewable technologies. • AB2006, championed by Assembly Speaker Nunez, addresses electric resource adequacy for the state. Originally, the bill addressed customer choice through re-establishment of direct access for larger electric customers. • SB1478 amends the Renewable Energy Resource Program to accelerate the 20% renewable energy requirement from the implementation date of 2017 to 2010. Solar Homes bills did not pass: • SB199, the original vehicle for Governor Schwarzenegger’s Million Solar Homes Initiative, required builders to offer solar power as an option in 2008 and increased the Net Metering cap to 5%. • SB118 was a competing bill that would create a solar peak energy procurement fund to finance solar power for homes. The bill tied solar incentives to passage of AB2006. Search bills at the California Legislative Site. Recent action in two regulatory proceedings of interest includes: • Utility long-term resource planning: The Cities of San Diego and Chula Vista, UCAN, and others submitted comments on SDG&E’s plan and the utility responded (R.04-04-003). For more information, visit SDREO Regulatory web page. • Energy-efficiency policies, administration, and programs (R.01-08-028): The CPUC released two interim opinions, one suggesting that utilities return to the role of program administrator for each region. A hearing is planned for 9/30 in San Francisco. The second is an opinion on energy savings goals for 2006 and beyond that would require utilities to revise their long-term plans to incorporate increased energy efficiency and demand response savings. - TOP - |
The 2004 Legislative Session came to a close August 28 with a flurry of activity on energy bills. Bills heading to the Governor for possible signing this month include:SDREO Holds Fuel Cell Technology Showcase (cont.)
To address these issues, SDREO hosted the Fuel Cell Technology Showcase. This event, the first of its kind, included presentations from several fuel cell manufacturers and the National Fuel Cell Research Center. Kirk Vinings of Plugpower provided an overview of fuel cell technology and brought along an actual Plugpower GenCore 5T fuel cell system. Steven Torres, of Fuel Cell Energy outlined the legislative and regulatory framework for the technology and displayed FCE’s products. In addition, Dr. Jack Brouwer, Associate Director for the National Fuel Cell Research Center discussed the latest in emerging fuel cell technologies and products. Dr. Brouwer commented, “The major hurdle for fuel cell technology is cost reduction. However, recent advances portend a bright future for this technology.”
While the future for fuel cells seems somewhat unsure, public interest is strong. The Fuel Cell Technology Showcase was so popular that SDREO is working on scheduling an additional showcase in the near future. Nathalie Osborn, Self Generation Incentive Program Manager commented, “It’s exciting that we received such an overwhelming response. With events such as this SDREO hopes to help increase awareness and encourage fuel cell projects.”
For more information on this event, please visit our events page at events.sdenergy.org.
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SDG&E Celebrates 1500th Net Metering Customer (cont.)
With the sun shining brightly, Friday, August 13th, turned out lucky after all as Supervisor Dianne Jacob, SDREO's Executive Director, Irene M. Stillings, and SDG&E Vice Presidents, David Geier and Terry Fleskes, were all at Henk's agency to mark the occasion with comments and a formal plaque presentation.
Stillings noted that San Diego County was fast becoming "the solar capital of California" and that SDREO's SelfGen program had seen a dramatic increase in applications for new solar projects this past year.
Media and VIPs were treated to "rides" in SDG&E's "bucket truck" that lifted them 40 feet into the air to look down on Henk's solar panel rooftop array. Since the goal was to raise awareness about solar use in San Diego County, coverage by local TV stations KGTV-10 and Fox News 6 made the event a huge success for solar.
* Net Metering refers to utility customers who are putting electricity back into the grid; therefore, spinning the meter backwards. The customer's bills reflect credits from power they supply that are applied against their usage from the utility.
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Program Spotlight: Rebuild A Greener San Diego (cont.)
In an effort to encourage the installation of energy-efficient measures and photovoltaic ( PV) systems, the Rebuild program offers the affected homeowners:
Financial Incentives: $1,700 and $2,000 rebates specifically designed to compensate for the incremental cost associated with upgrading standard equipment to meet energy-efficient standards. In addition to those rebates is the $4 per watt PV incentive, making this the best PV rebate available in the state for qualifying systems.
Technical Assistance: Seasoned energy-efficiency engineers are available for questions covering anything from requirements specific to the Rebuild program to the latest technologies available for new construction.
Educational Workshops: Open to the public with a special emphasis on fire resistant education, the Rebuild program is promoting four subject-specific workshops this Fall: 1) Site Planning, Building Envelope Design, & Landscaping; 2) Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, & Water Heating; 3) Lighting and Appliances; and 4) Renewable Energy / Self-Generation Systems.
Rebuild a Greener San Diego’s goal is to provide whatever assistance we have available to homeowners who lost their homes last October, so that they can Rebuild a Greener San Diego today, and we can all enjoy a greener tomorrow!!
For further information, visit www.rebuildsandiego.org or call toll free at 1-877-284-5373.
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Copyright 2004, San Diego Regional Energy Office
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