Sustainable Development Focus
Solar Industry Magazine - Aug 17
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) last Tuesday advanced a utility-scale battery storage project at the Beacon Solar Plant in the Mojave Desert that will allow greater utilization of nearly 600 megawatts of solar power, while helping maintain grid reliability and reducing the use of LADWP’s natural-gas-fired generating units. According to LADWP, the board approved an agreement with Doosan GridTech CA LLC to build the Beacon Energy Storage System, a 20-megawatt lithium-ion battery energy storage system that will interconnect with the Beacon Solar Plant and Barren Ridge Switching Stations along Highway 14 north of Mojave. The new storage project will add to LADWP’s energy storage portfolio, which already includes 1,296 megawatts of energy storage capacity.
Greentech Media - Aug 21 The Sensor Suitcase, co-developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), makes it possible for anyone to identify energy-saving opportunities that would typically require the hands-on labor and the expertise of a team of building engineers. The researchers who developed the Sensor Suitcase say building owners who act on the recommendations can expect to save about 10 percent on their energy bills. According to PNNL, the owner of a 25,000-square-foot office building could save $3,500 annually by making recommended changes. If used by every small commercial building nationwide, U.S. energy costs would be reduced by $5.1 billion every year.
PV-Tech - Aug 18 The Home Depot announced last week that it has selected Current, powered by GE, to build up its renewable-energy expansion. As part of this selection, Current will assist the Home Depot on site selection, project implementation plans, financing, and incentive capture for 20 rooftop PV installations in New Jersey, along with 10 additional stores in Connecticut, Maryland, and Washington, DC. The 11.9-megawatt rooftop PV portfolio will feature 30,000 rooftop solar panels and cut electricity demand by an estimated 30-35 percent annually at each Home Depot store.
Los Angeles Times - Aug 21 Now that lawmakers have extended the cap-and-trade program, it’s time for them to divvy up the money generated by the sale of pollution permits. Most of the revenue is already being routed to affordable housing, mass transit, and building the bullet train. But there’s still at least $1.4 billion available, which includes some money left over from the last fiscal year and more cash expected to roll in over the next one. Senate leader Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) wants to spend roughly $1 billion to replace old, dirty engines. In an interview, he suggested it’s a plan with potentially broad appeal: new tractors in rural areas, better trucks for middle class workers, and incentives for drivers to buy electric vehicles.
The Guardian - Aug 17 Residents of a social housing complex in Brooklyn, New York, can’t stop another tempest like Superstorm Sandy from crashing through their city, but they can feel secure that it won’t cause a power cut. In June, the 625-unit Marcus Garvey Village cut the ribbon on its very own microgrid, a localized network of electricity production and control. Rooftop solar panels produce clean power when the sun is up, while a fuel cell takes in natural gas and churns out a steady current all day. When it’s more valuable to save the electricity for later, the largest lithium-ion battery system on New York City’s grid does just that. These contraptions, which cost $4 million to install, reduce the community’s monthly power bill by 10 percent to 20 percent. Microgrids have been around for a long time, often featuring diesel generators hooked up to lead-acid batteries. But clean power microgrids are gaining popularity as they become more affordable.
