Letter from the Executive Director Solar power has come a long way since scientists Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller and Gerald Pearson discovered how to make semiconductors convert enough sunlight into electricity to generate significant amounts of power. Solar cells now power everything from satellites to streetlights, homes and businesses. To date, San Diego County has installed over 5.1 MW of solar with pending projects exceeding 1.3 MW and CCSE is proud that we are doing our part to add to these numbers by installing our own photovoltaic system.
read more >> 2005 Energy Standards Adopted CEC expects 500 MW peak savings in 3 years On November 5, 2003, the California Energy Commission ( CEC) adopted updated building standards for energy efficiency in residential and non-residential construction. The new Energy Standards will cut the State's peak energy use by more than 180 megawatts annually - enough electricity to power 180,000 average-sized California homes. Those energy savings are compounded from year to year, reaching over 500 megawatts after three years.
read more >> A Blueprint for California's Energy Future 2003 Integrated Energy Policy Report Approved by CEC At a special Business Meeting on November 12, 2003, the California Energy Commission unanimously approved the final 2003 Integrated Energy Policy Report. The document contains numerous recommendations to the Governor about current and potential energy problems confronting the State.
read more >> Renewables Could Be Increased 10X New Report Confirms Opportunities in State In keeping with its stature as a world leader in clean electricity production, California continues to aggressively pursue the development of renewable energy resources, said a report adopted on November 19, 2003 by the California Energy Commission.
read more >> | Inside the San Diego Energy Resource Center |  Featured Display
Name: Shade Tree Display
Description: Eight-foot tree adjacent to roof of House Display, tree selector tool and Cool Communities Shade Tree Program Tree Selection Catalog.
Systems Addressed: Mechanical
Illustrates: Options for using trees to shade structures and urban landscapes to decrease air conditioning energy use, reduce air and water pollution, inhibit global warming, conserve water, and enhance communities and property values.
Featured Instrument  Name: Tel-Tru™ Borozin Powder "Smoke" Gun
Description: Creates smoke for air motion analysis
Benefits: Emits a dense white cloud of fine powder smoke with the squeeze of the rubber bulb handle. Easy to use and provides hundreds of smoke puffs.
Examples of Use: For environmental air motion studies. Use to visualize air-flow motion, locate drafts, and locate leaks in small pressure vessels.
Availability: Loaned free of charge for up to 3 business days. Remember: safety first!
Featured Book Residential Windows: A Guide to New Technologies and Energy Performance is written by John Carmody, Stephen Selkowitz, Dariush Arasteh, and Lisa Heshong and published by W.W. Norton & Company. It offers homeowners, architects, designers, and builders a look at state of the art windows of today and the future as well as the information necessary to evaluate windows and make intelligent choices. The book covers every aspect of window design and technology, from the basic mechanisms of heat transfer to new products and ratings, and includes sections on energy performance, skylights and installation. Featured Periodical Builder and Developer is published monthly by Peninsula Publishing, Inc. and is a business-to-business publication for the California, Nevada, Arizona homebuilding industry. It covers all aspects of residential building and includes the latest technologies, builder profiles, as well as market trends and legislative news. Contributed articles are authored by top local and national associations involved in every aspect of residential building, architecture and interior design. Featured Video Name: Geo Exchange: The Neff School Project
Description: A case study of a geo exchange heating & cooling system installed at Neff Elementary School in Pennsylvania. Discusses the energy savings of using geo exchange versus fossil fuels and the method with which to tap into earth’s constant energy source.
Length: 19 minutes
Date: 1997 NOTE: Books, Periodicals and Videos can also be checked out free of charge. Please call Toll Free: 1-866-SDENERGY for more information. - TOP - | Letter From the Executive Director by Irene M. Stillings Solar power has come a long way since scientists Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller and Gerald Pearson discovered how to make semiconductors convert enough sunlight into electricity to generate significant amounts of power. Solar cells now power everything from satellites to streetlights, homes and businesses. To date, San Diego County has installed over 5.1 MW of solar with pending projects exceeding 1.3 MW and CCSE is proud that we are doing our part to add to these numbers by installing our own photovoltaic system. Our 10kW array is based on a new concept called the “SolarQuilt.” The SolarQuilt is virtually a flat PV system that required no roof penetration and can be easily disassembled and relocated. It is designed not only to generate electricity but also to provide insulating R-value and keep our building comfortable. Even better, it shows our commitment to improving overall energy security and efficiency, while mitigating the environmental impacts of energy use. Our system also gives us an opportunity to educate. We have installed a data logger along with software that allows active tracking of the system’s performance. Real-time information is transferred to an educational display located in our Energy Resource Center. In addition, CCSE made a conscious decision to utilize both crystalline and thin film technologies with 5kW of each making up the system. We hope to use the resulting data to analyze differences in efficiency and versatility. Our annual energy production will be about 14,500 kWh and we’ll keep you up to date on developments and results in future newsletters. As always, our Energy Resource Center is open to the public and we invite you to see how our new baby is doing! - TOP - 2005 Energy Standards Adopted On November 5, 2003, the California Energy Commission ( CEC) adopted updated building standards for energy efficiency in residential and non-residential construction. The new Energy Standards will cut the State's peak energy use by more than 180 megawatts annually - enough electricity to power 180,000 average-sized California homes. Those energy savings are compounded from year to year, reaching over 500 megawatts after three years. "California is already the most energy efficient state in the nation, in large part because of the building standards that have been in effect since 1978," said Energy Commissioner Robert Pernell, Presiding Member of the Efficiency Committee. "The cheapest kilowatt is the one you don't have to generate and to transmit through the State's power grid. With the adoption of these new rules, we will continue to reduce California's energy demand, cut our future energy bills and make our buildings more comfortable." The California Building Industry Association referred to the new Standards as "the most thorough, thoughtful revision ever." The Energy Commission will work closely with building officials, builders and utilities to provide training on the new Standards, educating everyone to the changes before they go into effect in October 2005. Here are some of the major changes in the new Title 24 building standards: · The latest Standards look at energy saving measures tailored to help reduce not only energy use, but peak energy use - electricity demand on hot summer days when air conditioning loads can cause the State's need for power to nearly double. Non-residential buildings, for example, will be required to install cool roofs - highly reflective, insulated roofing. Today nine out of ten rooftops in California reach summer peak temperatures of 150 degrees to 190 degrees. A cool roof can reduce those temperatures by as much as 50 degrees. That large temperature difference translates to a 20 percent reduction in air conditioning costs.
· The updated Standards require skylights in "big box" nonresidential buildings with controls to turn-off electric lighting when natural daylight is available. Also, several changes make space heating, cooling and ventilation systems more efficient in both residential and nonresidential buildings.
· Senate Bill 5X required the Energy Commission to include standards for outside lighting for the first time in the Standards. Indoor and outdoor signage is also covered for the first time.
· More efficient lighting in new residential and nonresidential construction is a major improvement in the Standards. Taking new technology into account, the standards call for state-of-the-art fluorescent lighting in all permanent fixtures.
· Improvements and alternations to existing residential buildings call for new replacement windows with improved glazings.
· Whenever new heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment is installed, the Standards will require ductwork to be inspected and sealed to correct the inevitable large leaks in existing ducts.
· Portable classrooms are specifically singled out for new standards to make them more energy efficient and comfortable. Information on the Title 24 Energy Efficiency Building Standards is available on the Energy Commission's website at http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/.
- TOP - A Blueprint for California's Energy Future At a special Business Meeting on November 12, 2003, the California Energy Commission unanimously approved the final 2003 Integrated Energy Policy Report. The document contains numerous recommendations to the Governor about current and potential energy problems confronting the State. The report is the first of an annual reporting process that will examine major energy trends and issues within California's transportation, electricity, and natural gas sectors. The report examines energy supply, demand, price, reliability, and efficiency and their impacts on public health and safety, the economy, resources, and the environment. "The report we approved today marks a new era for State energy policy," said Energy Commissioner James Boyd, presiding member of the committee that produced the document. "For the first time in many years, the State has a means to foster an on-going dialog among State, local and federal government participants, energy companies, public interest groups and other stakeholders. It provides a way to develop workable policies that will benefit all Californians." Policy recommendations in the report balance the need to conserve resources, protect the environment, ensure energy reliability, enhance the economy and protect public health. To protect the State's energy supply, the new report establishes the goals of encouraging energy efficiency and harvesting the benefits; diversifying fuel types; encouraging customer alternatives; and improving energy infrastructure. Major recommendations of the report include: · Increased emphasis on the need for infrastructure improvements to keep up with the growth in demand for petroleum, natural gas and electricity.
· Consolidating within the Energy Commission the authority to permit all bulk transmission lines to ensure greater reliability and renewable energy development.
· More stringent energy efficiency targets for 2008, and a recommendation that the State implement real-time and dynamic pricing of electricity to reduce peak load by 5 percent.
· Accelerating the timeframe to meet the 20 percent goal for the Renewables Portfolio Standard ( RPS), and requiring all retail sellers of electricity to meet the goal. The report also recommends developing more ambitious targets beyond the current 20 percent goal.
· Recommendations to establish a coordinated permitting process for facilities that would import Liquid Natural Gas ( LNG) to the West Coast, including Baja. At the same time, in-state production of natural gas should be encouraged.
· Encouraging additional cogeneration and distributed generation in California, and examining the implications of retiring or replacing aging, inefficient power plants.
· An emphasis on the use of non-potable water sources for power plant cooling.
· A recommendation that the State take into account the cost of greenhouse gas emissions and their environmental consequences when making energy decisions.
· Establishing the goal of reducing petroleum consumption used for transportation by 15 percent from current levels by 2020. The report, along with errata, is available at the Energy Commission's website at: www.energy.ca.gov/energypolicy/documents/.
- TOP - Renewables Could Be Increased 10X In keeping with its stature as a world leader in clean electricity production, California continues to aggressively pursue the development of renewable energy resources, said a report adopted on November 19, 2003 by the California Energy Commission. The Renewable Resources Development Report was submitted on December 1, 2003 to the Legislature, as required by law. The Report, required as part of California's new Renewable Portfolio Standard policy enacted by Senate Bills 1078 and 1038 in 2002, concluded that California's renewable electricity opportunities and those in adjacent states were plentiful. The Report estimated that California could produce 10 times more renewable electricity than generated today in the State. About 11 percent or roughly 30 billion kilowatt hours of the state's total electricity production today comes from renewable resources derived mainly from geothermal heat (from within the earth), biomass, wind and solar energy. In addition, the report concluded that cost trends for production of renewable electricity suggest that the Renewable Portfolio Standard policy is economically feasible. The report indicated that many renewable technologies are close to cost parity with conventional power sources, and that renewable costs have been declining and will continue to do so. As noted in the report, the Legislature created the Renewables Portfolio Standard in 2002, which requires that 20 percent of retail electricity sales be met with renewable sources by 2017. The report also notes that the Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the California Power Authority have adopted an Energy Action Plan that accelerates the RPS target of reaching 20% renewable generation to 2010. The final "Renewable Resources Development Report" is available on the California Energy Commission's website at: www.energy.ca.gov/reports - TOP - |
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