Focus
Governor Newsom signs ‘clean power, smart power’ bill into law
Solar Industry Magazine – October 15
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill designed to help California meet its electric grid reliability and climate change goals by advancing the development and use of so-called “smart appliances” that can shift demand for electricity to when renewable energy production is at its highest, thereby reducing the need for backup fossil fuel plants. The bill, SB 49, introduced by State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, is designed to help address the mismatch between electricity demand and renewable power supply by requiring the California Energy Commission to foster the development of smart appliances that can shift demand for electricity to when renewable power production is at its peak.
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News
Clean Power Alliance signs biggest deal to date, doubling renewable capacity
South Pasadenan - October 11
The Clean Power Alliance (CPA) on October 3 made its single largest acquisition of clean, renewable energy by signing up for the output of a large proposed Arizona wind farm. The deal will double CPA’s long-term electric energy resource portfolio and save it an estimated $8 million per year compared to the prices it pays on the short-term energy market for renewable energy. CPA will obtain a 300-megawatt share of NextEra Energy Resources’ White Hills Wind project being developed southeast of Las Vegas. CPA provides electric service to about a million residential and commercial customers in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
San Diego County pauses on partnering with cities on community choice energy
The San Diego Union-Tribune – October 15
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors this Tuesday approved creating a community choice aggregation energy program but voted to wait and see what kind of governing authority to adopt in order to implement it. The county had an offer on the table — to join Carlsbad, Solana Beach, and Del Mar and form a joint powers agreement (JPA) that plans to open for business in 2021. But several supervisors worried about making a commitment right away, especially since the county can possibly join forces with other jurisdictions, such as the city of Santee, and reach agreement on a different JPA. If the cities already in the San Diego-led CCA are joined by all the jurisdictions currently in the discussion, SDG&E officials estimated the municipalities would account for about 70 percent of SDG&E’s current energy load.
U.S. wind industry seeks same tax incentives as solar
Greentech Media – October 10
The U.S. wind industry has begun a push in Washington, D.C., to level the tax-incentive playing field with solar energy. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the industry’s main trade group, wants to see onshore wind projects be made eligible for the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) currently available to solar plants, said AWEA chief executive Tom Kiernan. The U.S. wind industry, now approaching 100 gigawatts of installed capacity, secured a multiyear extension to its Production Tax Credit (PTC) in 2015 based in part on the argument that it would be the last one. The wind PTC began phasing down in 2016 for new projects, but the ITC does not start its decline until next year. While the PTC eventually drops to zero, the solar industry’s ITC is set to remain permanently at a reduced level — a major advantage over time.
Micro power grids emerge as way to keep electricity on during shutoffs
KQED – October 14
For two days, life in Northern and Central California was completely upended by PG&E’s power shutdowns, affecting hundreds of thousands of customers. The outages renewed questions about why the utility did not include resilient grid technology, such as the microgrids employed at three Fremont fire stations, outfitted with a sophisticated power system designed to keep running when the grid goes down. Fremont is one of the first cities in the U.S. to install a microgrid, a small, self-contained electrical system, around a fire station. Fremont’s microgrid includes solar panels, batteries, and a generator. Control software allows the stations to operate independently from PG&E’s grid. The California Public Utility Commission is examining how projects like the one in Fremont can help shore up the system and make power shutoffs less disruptive.
Company announces successful extraction of lithium from Salton Sea geothermal plant
Los Angeles Times – October 14
Companies have tried for decades to extract lithium from the super-heated underground fluid used for energy generation at the southern end of the Salton Sea, home to one of the world’s most powerful natural geothermal hot spots. Lithium is a key ingredient in batteries that power electric cars and store solar power for use after dark. Now another company claims to have solved the lithium problem at a geothermal plant, a few miles from the lake’s receding shoreline. The plant is owned by Chevron Corp., the New Zealand electricity generator Mercury NZ Limited, and EnergySource, based in San Diego. EnergySource Chief Operating Officer Derek Benson said the company has produced “kilograms” of battery-grade lithium. A commercial extraction facility, he estimated, could produce 16,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent annually, with the potential for around 100,000 tons if the other Salton Sea geothermal plants adopt the firm’s technology.
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Projects
8minute and Capital Dynamics complete Springbok project in Kern County
PV Magazine - October 15
There has been some talk of a slowdown in California’s large-scale solar market, following the over-procurement by the state’s large investor-owned utilities to meet their targets under the state’s renewable energy mandate. However, large solar plants are still being developed, deals signed, and plants put online. This week, one of the largest clusters of solar projects in the state has been completed, with Capital Dynamics announcing the completion of the 121-MWdc Springbok 3 solar project. This is the third plant in a 448-MWdc cluster of projects in Kern County, at the southern end of California’s Central Valley.
Renewable energy firm doubles down on western wind projects
U.S. News & World Report – October 7
A California-based renewable energy developer plans to increase by seven-fold its investments as it prepares to build more wind farms in New Mexico over the next several years. A recent analysis commissioned by Pattern Development shows a $1.2 billion economic impact from its wind farms in eastern New Mexico and West Texas, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars more than what was initially projected in 2015 before development began. A key driver for Pattern Development’s upcoming investments is a recent decision by the state Public Regulation Commission to allow Public Service Co. of New Mexico to acquire a 165-mile transmission line that will be built through a partnership between Pattern and the state’s Renewable Energy Transmission Authority. It will connect wind farms in rural central New Mexico to other points on the grid.
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