Sustainable Development Focus
Solar Industry Magazine - Sep 29
The Colton Joint Unified School District (CJUSD) in California and SunPower Corp. have announced plans to install SunPower Helix carport systems at 28 district schools. SunPower says its carport systems will generate approximately 6.1 megawatts of clean energy and are estimated to provide CJUSD with more than $35 million in electricity savings over the next 25 years. Upon project completion, SunPower estimates that 73 percent of the district’s electricity will be provided through the carport systems. CJUSD will buy power at a competitive rate under a power purchase agreement with SunPower and will own the renewable energy credits associated with the systems.
Environmental Leader - Sep 23
Global environmental services company Suez uses an internal carbon price to drive investment in low-carbon technologies such as energy-efficient water pumps. Meanwhile IT giant Microsoft used its carbon fee fund to support internal efficiency upgrades, power purchase agreements and green power instruments, carbon offset projects, and supply chain engagement. It also saves Microsoft more than $10 million per year. These are two examples of how a growing number of multi-national companies are using internal carbon pricing to invest in low-carbon technologies and product offerings while also saving money, according to research by climate change disclosure nonprofit CDP.
Sacramento Bee - Sep 22
Golden 1 Center is officially the “greenest” arena in the country. The Sacramento Kings announced last week that their new downtown arena had been certified LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council, making Golden 1 the first indoor arena to achieve that status. A new 11-megawatt solar farm built by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District on its Rancho Seco property in partnership with the Kings will generate the power to offset electricity used at the facility during evening events. Hangar doors above the arena’s main entrance can open, allowing cool Delta breezes to fill the building. The LEED stamp of approval also takes into account how the arena was constructed. Nearly all of the construction materials from the former Downtown Plaza were recycled when the mall was demolished, and more than a third of the materials used to build the arena were from recycled sources.
East Bay Times - Sep 20
For the first time in over half a century, the Oakland City Council approved sharp reductions to its parking requirements, which advocates say will make it less expensive to develop housing, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the quality of life for residents. Walkability is just one of the positive outcomes that the city is hoping to achieve with the new parking regulations, said Matt Nichols, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s director of transportation policy. The changes reduce the amount of parking required for residential and commercial buildings throughout the city, with the largest reductions concentrated in areas closest to major transit hubs, such as downtown Oakland or at BART stations. In those areas, the new regulations reduce the required parking to zero and instead set a cap on the maximum amount of parking allowed. The regulations provide incentives, and in some cases, requirements, for developers to offer car sharing spaces or AC Transit bus passes
San Mateo Daily Journal - Sep 26
San Mateo is in the midst of updating its building codes to include green advancements that could support a range of sustainable initiatives, from using recycled water to irrigate residential landscapes to requiring solar panel installation. The city recently received approval from the state to mandate that new multifamily residential and commercial developments install at least a modicum of solar panels. As part of the changes, officials are also looking to require more properties to support electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Some of the requirements go beyond state mandates known as the Green Building Code and Energy Code sections of the California Building Code. All of the changes will be reviewed by the City Council, likely in November. If approved, they would go into effect Jan. 1, 2017, said Kathy Kleinbaum, San Mateo’s interim economic development manager.
