Renewable Energy Update - June 2015

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Renewable Energy Focus

California Senate approves legislation to combat global warming

San Jose Mercury News - Jun 3

The California Senate approved a sweeping package of climate change bills designed to cement the Golden State's reputation as a national leader in the fight against global warming. Senate Bill 32, sponsored by Senator Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, would extend California's landmark climate law, Assembly Bill 32. The current law, signed by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, requires California to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, a reduction of about 20 percent from "business as usual." The new bill, which passed the Senate 22-15, would cut greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Senate Bill 350, sponsored by Senators Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, and Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, would require the California Air Resources Board to reduce petroleum use in cars and trucks by 50 percent in the next 15 years. The bill would also require California utilities to generate at least 50 percent of their electricity from solar, wind and other renewable energy sources by 2030, an increase from current law, which requires a third of power to come from renewable sources by 2020, and require state agencies to toughen building standards.

9th Circuit approves Southern California wind farm project

Courthouse News Service - May 29

The 9th Circuit said the federal government properly granted a right-of-way over federal land for a wind energy project on private land near Tehachapi without formal environmental analysis. The plaintiffs' attorney said his clients, the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Defenders of Wildlife, do not plan to appeal. North Sky River Energy built a 300-megawattt wind farm across 12,781 acres of privately owned land northeast of Tehachapi. North Sky decided the cheapest way to connect its wind farm with a state highway was via a 10-mile access road across federal land, and petitioned the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a right of way. The BLM issued a finding of no significant impact for the road, exempting it from consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and from preparing a formal environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Feds fast-track approval for three solar power farms

The Hill - Jun 4

Federal officials have approved the first three proposed solar power farms under a streamlined permitting program for solar projects on federal land. The three projects are all on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property in Clark County, Nevada, and will together have a capacity of 440 megawatts, enough to power about 132,000 homes. The projects are the first to benefit from the Western Solar Plan, which identified 19 specific areas that could benefit from solar power, and set up streamlined permitting processes for them.

City property represents a 5-gigawatt solar opportunity

Greentech Media - Jun 4

Municipal buildings represent an enormous untapped opportunity for solar that could significantly lower operating costs and free up millions of taxpayer dollars, according to a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). ILSR estimates that more than 5,000 megawatts of solar could be affordably installed on municipal property across all the cities in the U.S. with a population greater than 100,000. That figure represents roughly a quarter of all solar installed in the U.S. to date.

Tesla Motors co-founder wants to electrify commercial trucks

ABC News - Jun 2

In 2003, Ian Wright and some fellow engineers launched Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley company that has helped jumpstart the market for electric cars. Now, the Tesla co-founder wants to electrify noisy, gas-guzzling trucks that deliver packages, haul garbage, and make frequent stops on city streets. His latest venture, Wrightspeed, sells electric powertrains that can be installed on medium-and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, making them cleaner, quieter, and more energy-efficient.

Microgrid powers Borrego Springs for nine hours

Fox 5 - Jun 1

All the electricity delivered to Borrego Springs during a nearly nine-hour period last month came from a nearby “microgrid,” in what’s believed to be the first time that such a facility powered an entire community in the U.S., according to San Diego Gas & Electric. The May 21 feat came during planned maintenance on SDG&E’s power grid, when all 2,800 customers in the desert community in northeastern San Diego County were switched over to the microgrid, according to the utility. SDG&E officials said a significant amount of the power came from the 26-megawatt Borrego Solar facility.

Notable Renewable Energy Projects and Deals

Smart Wires raises $30.8 million for transmission power routing

Greentech Media - Jun 4

Oakland-based Smart Wires, a startup with technology that could turn transmission lines into flexible power conduits for an increasingly solar- and wind-powered grid, has raised $30.8 million to bring its first product to commercial production and ready its second for field testing early next year. The new round brings Smart Wires’ total funding to about $62.8 million, which includes a nearly $4 million grant from ARPA-E, the Department of Energy energy research program.

Vivint Solar diversifies with $150 million commercial fund

PV-Tech - Jun 4

U.S. residential installer Vivint Solar has made its first forays into the commercial and industrial solar market with a $150 million investment into the sector. Vivint established the investment fund in order to finance energy-efficient commercial and industrial solar projects, having previously focused entirely on the residential market. The diversification comes four months after the installer announced plans to expand its operations into Northern California with a number of recruitment fairs to take place across the state.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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