 Letter From the Executive Director
The CCSE Regional Energy Strategy nears completion for SANDAG approval, control of local energy efficiency programs is being debated and public comments on competing plans are being requested. CCSE's Executive Director comments on these hot issues.
read more >> Program Spotlight On May 31st, the California Center for Sustainable Energy ( CCSE) will host the San Diego Solar Home Tour 2003. For one day, local residents open their homes to the public so they learn about the benefits of solar power.
learn more >> Success Stories
Largest Photovoltaic System in the Region at Del Mar Fairgrounds In April 2003, the Del Mar Fairgrounds completed the installation of a 1MW photovoltaic carport system. learn more >> | Inside the San Diego Energy Resource Center | |
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Date: March 20, 2003 - TOP -
| Letter From the Executive Director
When California deregulated in 1996 ( AB 1890), utilities divested generation and were no longer responsible for resource planning. The “energy crisis” years of 2000-2001 put the spotlight on, among other things, the lack of resource planning and the results were catastrophic for consumers and the state. To fill the gap in forward resource planning, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) commissioned CCSE to develop a regional energy strategy. We have held public forums, researched (see the Regional Energy Infrastructure Study on our Web site), debated and investigated. Now, with the help of the Regional Energy Policy Advisory Council (REPAC), a group of elected officials and representatives of major stakeholders, we are almost ready to issue the 2030 Regional Energy Strategy for SANDAG approval. In the meantime, the California Public Utility Commission ( CPUC) issued an order mandating that the investor-owned utilities must resume long term resource planning. On April 15 all the state’s utilities, including SDG&E, submitted 20-year resource plans to the CPUC. Our plan and the SDG&E plan agree in many respects. Both put strong emphasis on energy efficiency and conservation, the development of renewable resources, additional transmission and added base-load generation. SDG&E should be commended for recognizing the potential of conservation and renewables to help meet the growing needs of our region for power. However, the CCSE/REPAC goals are more aggressive and also put significant emphasis on clean, efficient, distributed generation. Further, SDG&E would like to control all energy efficiency programs funded by the Public Goods Charge on everyone’s bill. CCSE believes that community-based organizations, with interests more aligned with the public good, should administer a significant portion of these programs. These differences will eventually be decided by the CPUC, but they should hear from you. The policy decisions that underlay both the CCSE and the SDG&E plans need to have extensive public comment. We believe that residential customers, businesses, environmentalists, advocates and others must participate in the process. Decisions are going to be made this year that will impact your lives for the next several decades. Make sure your voice is heard. To find out more about the SDG&E plan, the CCSE/REPAC plan and information about the CPUC process, click here. Log on, learn and participate. In the words of our local PBS/NPR station, KPBS, “If you don’t have an opinion, someone else will have one for you.” Make sure you are heard.
Irene M. Stillings
Executive Director - TOP - Program Spotlight  On May 31st, the California Center for Sustainable Energy ( CCSE) will host the San Diego Solar Home Tour 2003. For one day, local residents open their homes to the public so they can learn about the benefits of solar power.
The Tour will showcase homes all over San Diego County that use solar technologies including solar water heating, solar pool heating and photovoltaics (solar electricity). The Solar Home Tour 2003 will take place on Saturday, May 31st, 2003 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. During this time the public can visit any one of the home sites on the Tour.
The Solar Homes Tour 2003 Web site includes pictures, solar system descriptions and directions for all the homes on the Tour.  In addition, the site features basic information about solar energy, rebates for solar energy and links to other relevant sites.
Tour participants will receive an energy-saving compact fluorescent bulb while supplies last and a chance to win solar prizes, such as solar-powered flashlights and battery chargers.
The public can get information for the event at www.energycenter.org/solartour or by calling 858-244-1195.
- TOP -
Success Stories
Largest Photovoltaic System in the Region at Del Mar Fairgrounds In April 2003, the Del Mar Fairgrounds completed the installation of a 1MW photovoltaic carport system. This 1MW installation, which will provide up to 20% of the Fairgrounds total electricity usage, is the largest photovoltaics installation in the region and one of the largest in the country.
The Fairgrounds will receive an estimated incentive payment of over 2 million dollars from the San Diego Regional Energy Office’s Self-Generation Program. The Program offers rebates of $4.50/watt up to 50% of the cost of eligible photovoltaics systems that are 30kW or larger. These cash incentives are available to residential and business customers who produce their own energy through clean distributed generation technologies including microturbines, small gas turbines, wind turbines, photovoltaics, fuel cells and internal combustion engines.
For more information on the Self Generation Program, see www.energycenter.org/selfgen |
