Renewable Energy Focus
Los Angeles Times - Aug 1
Sonoma County is at the forefront among eco-minded communities plunging into the power business nationwide. Impatient with the pace at which states and the federal government are confronting climate change, communities from the coast of Massachusetts, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Boulder, Colorado, have begun taking steps to elbow aside big electricity companies and find green power themselves.
Wall Street Journal - Aug 29
Electricity companies are asking for permission to tack on fees to customer bills to fund pilot projects for building networks of charging stations. In San Diego, Sempra Energy's power utility wants to install 5,500 electric-car chargers at hundreds of office parks, apartment buildings, and condominium complexes at a cost of $100 million. The utility wants to add a surcharge to all San Diego customers' bills.
Energy Digital - Sep 3
California lawmakers ended their session Saturday without voting on SB 1139, a bill that would require utilities to purchase a percentage of their power from geothermal sources in the state’s high desert. Opposition to the bill was strong from both traditional utilities and renewable energy companies. Utilities felt that requiring the purchase put a burden on its customers, while renewable energy companies felt that it created an unequal playing field for renewables since it set aside a large portion of the market only for geothermal.
San Diego Union-Tribune - Aug 29
California is inching closer to the birth of a new automotive industry based on hydrogen. The state has committed $110 million so far to underwrite new hydrogen fueling stations and set aside $20 million a year for the initiative going forward. Over the next two years, the state will see new clusters of fueling stations in and around San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Orange County.
Climate Spectator - Aug 29
The U.S. solar photovoltaic project pipeline continues to be dominated by California. This state alone accounts for 48 percent of total megawatt capacity and 30 percent of total number of projects. The next closest states, in terms of capacity, are Nevada, North Carolina, and Arizona, each of which is being driven primarily by large-scale ground-mount project developments.
REVE - Aug 27
In 2013, world geothermal power electricity-generating capacity grew 3 percent to top 11,700 megawatts across 24 countries. Although some other renewable energy technologies are seeing much faster growth—wind power has expanded 21 percent per year since 2008, for example, while solar power has grown at a blistering 53 percent annual rate—this was geothermal’s best year since the 2007-08 financial crisis.
Notable Renewable Energy Projects and Deals
Los Angeles Times - Sep 3
Tesla Motors has chosen Nevada as the site for its proposed $5 billion "gigafactory" battery plant. In winning the contract, Nevada beat out California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico to become the new home of the factory where Tesla, in partnership with Japanese electronics giant Panasonic, will build the lithium ion power plants for its Model S and Model X electric vehicles.
Los Angeles Times - Sep 3
Irving, Texas-based Fluor Corporation has completed the engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning for both phases of LS Power’s new Centinela Solar Energy Facility, one of the largest solar photovoltaic power plants in the U.S. Located near El Centro, California, the 170-megawatt PV plant will provide clean, renewable energy in the southwestern U.S.
PV Tech - Aug 29
PV technology manufacturer SunEdison and its affiliate, global renewable energy company TerraForm Power, have completed and connected two PV projects in California. The two systems, located at the Coalinga State Hospital and the Pleasant Valley State Prison, were installed for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Department of State Hospital and will produce enough energy to power about 800 homes.
Think Geoenergy - Aug 27
As stated in a press release by Assemblyman Brian Dahle, the California Energy Commission is investing more than $4 million to promote the development of geothermal energy resources in northeastern California. The top project statewide, $1.13 million awarded to Modoc County, will allow further geological research and economic-feasibility studies into the development of a geothermal power plant at the Surprise Valley Hot Springs, near the Nevada border.
San Diego Union-Tribune - Aug 27
San Diego-based OneRoof Energy has raised $58 million to install more than 2,000 residential solar systems in at least four states, the company announced Wednesday. The funding comes from an undisclosed third party. It initially will be used to provide rooftop solar energy for customers who sign power-purchase agreements in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New York, OneRoof said in a statement.
