Tag Archive for: california

The bill, AB 2316, establishes a state community renewable energy program making clean energy more accessible.

California assembly passes community renewable energy legislation

The California State Assembly passed a bill that will significantly expand community renewable energy in the state as well as increase grid reliability.

The bill, AB 2316, establishes a state community renewable energy program making clean energy more accessible, including to businesses regardless of whether they rent or own property. The law also includes energy storage requirements on community solar projects designed to increase grid reliability, which can help the state during power crunches as the result of high demand or natural events.

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Source: Environmental Leader

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Solar growth is spreading into new U.S. markets as developers tackle grid challenges and new demand pockets open up in central states.Panel The Planet

Gov. Newsom’s clean air regulators prioritize rooftop solar expansion in California climate action plan

SAN FRANCISCO – California’s top clean air regulators this week released a proposed plan to fight the climate crisis by cutting carbon dioxide emissions, with policy priorities including an effort to expand rooftop solar throughout the state.

The 11-point “Strategies for Achieving Success” draft plan responds to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, to identify strategies for eventually making the state carbon neutral. On page 164 of the plan, CARB says:

  • Target programs and incentives to support and improve access to renewable and zero-carbon energy projects (e.g., rooftop solar, community solar, battery storage, and microgrids) for communities most at need, including frontline, low-income, rural, and indigenous communities.

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Source: EWG

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How California can get to a reliable, 85% clean grid by 2030

Can California really rely on gigawatts of solar and wind power and batteries, plus long-duration energy storage systems and ​“firm” carbon-free resources like geothermal power plants, to replace the need for most of its fossil-fueled power by the end of the decade? And can it do so without driving power prices through the roof or exposing the state to the risk of major blackouts?

Yes, new modeling suggests — but the state is likely to be more successful if it dramatically ramps up offshore wind and geothermal power and depends less than previous forecasts have suggested on new utility-scale solar farms.

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Source: Canary Media

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California’s solar potential remains huge

California leads the nation with more than 1.3 million solar rooftops installed on homes, but the state also has potential for a lot more.

The state ranks second in the nation when measuring the percentage of solar panels on rooftops capable of installing photovoltaic systems.

Consumer comparison research firm InMyArea.com used data from Google’s Project Sunroof, which estimates the suitability of solar installations on the nation’s buildings, to calculate energy costs from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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Source: KPBS

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Renewable electricity just powered California 100% for the first time in history

Renewable electricity met 100% of California’s demand for the first time on Saturday, environmentalists said, much of it from large amounts of solar power produced along Interstate 10, an hour east of the Coachella Valley.

While partygoers celebrated in the blazing sunshine at the Stagecoach music festival, energy demand statewide hit 18,672 megawatts at 2:45 p.m. local time, and 37,172 megawatts were available to meet it. The power came from renewables, according to a continuous tracker provided by California Independent System Operator, or CAISO,  a nonprofit that oversees the state’s bulk electric power system and transmission lines.

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Source: USA Today

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CPUC approves California utility projects including PG&E’s 1.6GW/6.4GWh BESS

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved new projects by the state’s three investor-owned utilities, including nine battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities proposed by PG&E totalling 1.6GW/6.4GWh.

The CPUC has approved the projects which were proposed by PG&E in January in response to an order to procure 11.5GW of clean energy capacity, under the CPUC’s internal resource planning process.

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Source: Energy Storage News

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Santa Monica solar panel recycling pilot wraps up

Santa Monica solar panel recycling pilot wraps up

On June 27, 2018, the Santa Monica was awarded $50,000 in funding from the Household Hazardous Waste Grant Program of the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). The City worked with the California Product Stewardship Council and other partners to survey stakeholders, conduct outreach, and coordinate panel pickups from homeowners and solar installers.  The CA Conservation Corps picked up and hauled panels and a Universal Waste management company called CalMicro, recycled the panels.

Results
Overall, 281 working and non-working panels were collected from 8 locations for an estimated total recycling weight of 7,920 lbs.  The cost for hauling and recycling solar panels was about $0.62 per pound or $17 per panel.  An additional 78 working panels were diverted for reuse.

Next Steps
Since the pilot is concluded, the City does not have staff or budget to dedicate to processing solar panels at this time, however, there are Universal Waste recyclers in Southern California that are certified to process solar panels and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Los Angeles is accepting unwanted working panels.  The California Product Stewardship Council created a website dedicated to the proper handling of unwanted solar panels: calpsc.org/solarpanelstewardship.

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Source: City of Santa Monica

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California utility SDG&E sees utility scale solar growing greater than 10x by 2045

California utility San Diego Gas & Electricity (SDG&E) has released new projections for meeting California’s decarbonization goals. The study, The Path to Net Zero: A Decarbonization Roadmap for California, predicts that in order to reach the mandated carbon neutrality by 2045, the state will need to quadruple its electricity generating capacity from 85 GW to 365 GW, add 40 GW of energy storage, and integrate 20 GW of green hydrogen – while also adding 4 GW of fossil gas with carbon capture and sequestration technology.

The utility said that they believe a mix of resources will be needed to “maintain electricity system reliability in the SDG&E service area” as total consumption increases by an estimated 100%, and peak demand grows by 85%.

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Source: PV Magazine

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California ran on nearly 100% clean energy this month

California, which aims to have a carbon-free power grid within 25 years, got a short glimpse of that possibility earlier this month.

The state’s main grid ran on more than 97% renewable energy at 3:39 p.m. on Sunday April 3, breaking a previous record of 96.4% that was set just a week earlier, the California Independent System Operator said Thursday in a statement.

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Source: Bloomberg

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