California Center for Sustainable Energy

For Andrew McAllister, director of programs at the nonprofit California Center for Sustainable Energy ( CCSE), the appropriation of federal stimulus funds has become a focal point of his daily activities. All stimulus funds must be allocated by late 2010, and the deadline for municipal applications fell in early June. So McAllister has been racing the clock to forge a regional funding strategy that will cover 19 jurisdictions in San Diego County.

Adopting a cooperative approach appears to be the only practical way for the area's underfunded municipalities to meet an expected mandate to cut regional emissions by 85 percent. "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish policies and programs at the local jurisdiction level that support sustainable decisions," McAllister explains. Along with CCSE's energy and public affairs managers, he meets with city managers to help them apply for resources, prioritize the use of stimulus funds and leverage those funds to develop local and regional energy solutions.

No day is typical or uninteresting on this job. In addition to collaborating with city officials, McAllister supervises 13 hard-working staffers. His department runs the California Solar Initiative, the Self-Generation Incentive Program and the Solar Water-Heating Program, and it plays a central role in guiding CCSE's efforts in the policy and regulatory arenas. "We have a terrific staff" he says. "It is deeply satisfying to work with a team of passionate, idealistic people who communicate well, demonstrate respect and show a high degree ofprofessionalism."

On a recent weekend, McAllister was a keynote speaker at a green career conference. On Tuesday morning, he met with the mayor and deputy city manager of San Marcos to discuss their energy plan. Part of his job involves educating municipal officials regarding the resources and advisory services
that CCSE can offer. After lunch, McAllister met with the manager of CCSE's Solar Water-Heating Pilot Program. They discussed using stimulus funds to create a training program for inspectors and permitting officials, so they will better understand solar water-heating technology. On Wednesday, he flew to Sacramento for an all-day workshop with the California Energy Commission, where he spoke about the implementation of homeowner loan programs, authorized by Assembly Bill 811, to finance energy efficiency and distributed renewable energy in the San Diego region. The group considered ways to integrate AB 811 financing with federal stimulus funds.

McAllister is happy to put in long hours, especially now that his programs have traction."We're really inside the clean energy maelstrom these days, which is very exciting" he says. " CCSE is in a position to inject hard-won lessons and marketplace knowledge, garnered from running real programs, into the policy process at a high level. Times have changed from 20 years ago when clean energy was a small, underappreciated niche area. This evolution is gratifying to see, even if overdue."

McAllister has 18 years of experience in renewable energy systems. He studied both engineering and art history at Dartmouth, then earned a master's degree in energy and resources at the University of California-Berkeley. He worked for more than a decade with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association as renewable energy and energy-efficiency specialist in Central and South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. He was a project manager at Energy Solutions, a consulting firm in Oakland, and an energy-efficiency analyst at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Now he's confident that the San Diego region will achieve collaborative energy goals, and the process brings him a profound sense of satisfaction. "Local jurisdictions are key, as they have huge influence over the market-place" he says. One cannot do it without them. They are close to residents and businesses and influence key aspects of how we live. Cities are staffed by dedicated people who live in the communities they serve, which can make them wonderful agents for change. When CCSE has been a central catalyst for a needed policy change or when we conduct a truly productive and well-timed workshop, that makes me feel great!"

Katrina Phruksukarn is secretary of the San Diego Renewable Energy Society, an American Solar Energy Society chapter. She spent eight years as a medical administration officer in the Army National Guard, where she gained a unique p~rspeetive on the importance of creating an energy-independent nation. Contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .