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Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update
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Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update
Here are you wEEkly updates:
News and Announcements
1. Updated Version of the Proposition 39 (K-12) Snapshot is Now Online
Updated version of the Prop 39 K-12 program snapshot is now online measuring expenditures, estimated annual energy savings, and GHG reductions. More information on Prop 39 (California Clean Energy Jobs Act) can found here.
2. Multi-family Solar Development Webinar
Informational webinar which will provide background about the goals of the Virtual Net Metering Market Development Project supported by the Center for Sustainable Energy. Learn more about Virtual Net Metering and solar for multifamily dwellings here.
3. RFP: Low-Income Weatherization Program (LIWP)
Notice of Intent to Award is Today! The Low-Income Weatherization Program is an energy efficiency program administered by California Department of Community Services and Development to install a variety of energy efficiency measures, solar photovoltaics and solar water heater systems on low-income households located in disadvantaged communities.
4. Getting to Zero Carbon in Menlo Park: A Northern California Suburb Revamps Its Approach to the Built Environment
“…small cities have an important leadership role to play on climate action, because they account for more emissions and represent a larger share of the population than big cities.”
5. San Diego’s Climate Action Plan Making Progress—And Creating Jobs
Highlighting the impact and progress of the city of San Diego’s Climate Action Plan, not only providing environmental benefits but also improving the economy.
Reports and Resources
6. Integrated Emissions Visualization Tool
ARB has developed an integrated emissions visualization tool (IEVT) that allows users to locate and view emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and criteria pollutants from large facilities in California. ARB is looking for feedback from the public and others users on this initial version of the IEVT.
7. Updated Cap-and-Trade Funding Guidelines
The Air Resources Board has published the Funding Guidelines Supplement for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016-17 Funds. The Supplement includes updated disadvantaged community investment targets for all FY 2016-17 budget appropriations and also provides criteria todetermine whether projects funded by the new FY 2016-17 appropriations will provide benefits to disadvantaged communities.
8. Draft 2015 SCE Home Energy Efficiency Survey Evaluation Report
The report is posted for public comment and review on the CPUC Public Document Area here. (Search: “Draft 2015 SCE HEES” ). Or you can click the title above to view the report directly.
Career Opportunities
9. Energy Specialist, San Francisco
The City and County of San Francisco Department of the Environment (SF Environment) is seeking an Energy Specialist who will assist in monitoring, evaluating, and implementing projects, programs and policies focused on Distributed Energy Resources including energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy storage and zero emission vehicles.
10. Energy Manager, San Francisco (Job ID: 6317)
San Francisco State University is seeking an Energy Manager to establish the campus as a national leader in sustainability and energy management. This position will provide a forward thinking energy professional with an opportunity to use the campus as a living laboratory to save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote renewable energy.
11. Chief Executive Officer, Yolo County
The County of Yolo is conducting a recruitment on behalf of The Valley Clean Energy Alliance for the Chief Executive Officer position.
News and Announcements
1. Updated Version of the Proposition 39 (K-12) Snapshot is Now Online
Updated version of the Prop 39 K-12 program snapshot is now online measuring expenditures, estimated annual energy savings, and GHG reductions. More information on Prop 39 (California Clean Energy Jobs Act) can found here.
2. Multi-family Solar Development Webinar
Informational webinar which will provide background about the goals of the Virtual Net Metering Market Development Project supported by the Center for Sustainable Energy. Learn more about Virtual Net Metering and solar for multifamily dwellings here.
3. RFP: Low-Income Weatherization Program (LIWP)
Notice of Intent to Award is Today! The Low-Income Weatherization Program is an energy efficiency program administered by California Department of Community Services and Development to install a variety of energy efficiency measures, solar photovoltaics and solar water heater systems on low-income households located in disadvantaged communities.
4. Getting to Zero Carbon in Menlo Park: A Northern California Suburb Revamps Its Approach to the Built Environment
“…small cities have an important leadership role to play on climate action, because they account for more emissions and represent a larger share of the population than big cities.”
5. San Diego’s Climate Action Plan Making Progress—And Creating Jobs
Highlighting the impact and progress of the city of San Diego’s Climate Action Plan, not only providing environmental benefits but also improving the economy.
Reports and Resources
6. Integrated Emissions Visualization Tool
ARB has developed an integrated emissions visualization tool (IEVT) that allows users to locate and view emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and criteria pollutants from large facilities in California. ARB is looking for feedback from the public and others users on this initial version of the IEVT.
7. Updated Cap-and-Trade Funding Guidelines
The Air Resources Board has published the Funding Guidelines Supplement for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016-17 Funds. The Supplement includes updated disadvantaged community investment targets for all FY 2016-17 budget appropriations and also provides criteria todetermine whether projects funded by the new FY 2016-17 appropriations will provide benefits to disadvantaged communities.
8. Draft 2015 SCE Home Energy Efficiency Survey Evaluation Report
The report is posted for public comment and review on the CPUC Public Document Area here. (Search: “Draft 2015 SCE HEES” ). Or you can click the title above to view the report directly.
Career Opportunities
9. Energy Specialist, San Francisco
The City and County of San Francisco Department of the Environment (SF Environment) is seeking an Energy Specialist who will assist in monitoring, evaluating, and implementing projects, programs and policies focused on Distributed Energy Resources including energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy storage and zero emission vehicles.
10. Energy Manager, San Francisco (Job ID: 6317)
San Francisco State University is seeking an Energy Manager to establish the campus as a national leader in sustainability and energy management. This position will provide a forward thinking energy professional with an opportunity to use the campus as a living laboratory to save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote renewable energy.
11. Chief Executive Officer, Yolo County
The County of Yolo is conducting a recruitment on behalf of The Valley Clean Energy Alliance for the Chief Executive Officer position.
That's all for today! Cheers and have a great weekend!
Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update
Here
are your wEEkly updates:
1.
Prop 39 Proposed Changes Webinar 7/6: Get the word out to your schools and
local educational agencies (LEAs): The California Energy Commission has
initiated a substantive changes cycle for the Proposition 39: California Clean
Energy Jobs Act – 2016 K-12 Program Implementation Guidelines. Learn
more, review the changes and sign up for a CEC webinar to review.
2.
Smart Cities Webinar 7/14: This free
1-hour webinar sponsored by DNV GL will feature two contrasting cities
– Cambridge, Mass., and San Diego, Calif. – to explore on-going “smart city”
initiatives that intersect with climate resiliency, clean and renewable
distributed energy, microgrids and zero net energy concepts.
3.
SEEC Forum Plenaries online: Miss this year’s SEEC Forum? You can hear from
the CEC, CPUC, SGC, OPR, environmental justice leaders, and energy and climate
specialists in recordings of the SEEC Forum plenary sessions. Visit the
EECoordinator.info main page for
descriptions and Youtube links.
4.
New Energy Efficiency 101 resources: As Coordinator I hear about the need
for 101 resources from beginner and veteran local government energy leaders
alike. Whether its due to staff turnover or transfers, or the wealth of rapidly
evolving information on energy best practices in California, it helps to have
some introductory resources in one place. Check out a new (and
growing) page of
Energy Efficiency 101 resources and presentations on the EECoordinator
site – and feel free to request additional information.
5.
Low-Income EE resources expansion: SoCal Gas announced
a significant expansion of its Energy Savings Assistance Program. As many
as 500,000 additional low-income families may now be eligible to receive
no-cost energy efficient home upgrades.
6.
PACE Savings through HERO: A press
release from the residential PACE HERO Program released this week announced
that Californians Are Saving 10 Billion Kilowatt-Hours Through the
HERO Program - roughly equivalent to taking almost a million Americans off the
grid for a year or closing two coal-fired power plants for a
year. For more on financing, click here.
7.
Commercial EE opportunities: We learned in the SEEC plenary on the State of
Local Climate Action that a number of California local governments are seeing
high savings in the commercial sector. New
coverage from ACEEE shows commercial sector savings, but also a number
of remaining opportunities.
8.
Motivating Commercial EE: Something to share with your commercial sector
partners: stakeholder requests for EE and sustainability information are
changing trends in business activities and reporting. A new
report shows that 81% of S&P companies produced Sustainability
Reports in 2015.
9.
Clarifications on heat pump water heater compliance: the CEC’s Advisor
Patrick Saxton spoke to requirements for residential heat pump water heaters in
the Q&A of the Forum’s opening plenary session. Some additional residential
heat pump water heater compliance guidance from follow up with the CEC is
available here.
10.
New water efficiency standards in effect TODAY: With all the excitement
around the new building energy efficiency standards becoming open for cities
and counties to adopt by January 1, 2017, we can’t forget about new water
efficiency standards! Read an excerpt from the California Energy Commission
(CEC)’s blog, and get links for more information here.
11.
New EIA study projects the effect of energy policies: Projecting the effect
of policies is a challenging but critical part of energy planning and
governance. See how the U.S. Energy Information Administration has analyzed
U.S. energy policies and released its findings of an estimated 30%
increase in clean power from Clean Power Plan implementation.
12.
Time-of-Use Service for Residential: A new “time of savings” service
offered through a partnership between Nest and SolarCity offers residential
customers deeper demand response and EE savings. Learn more here.
13.
Procurement templates for energy storage: Clean Energy Group and the Clean
Energy States Alliance, with support from Bright Power, Sandia National
Laboratories, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity, and the Barr
Foundation, have drafted
and released a series of energy storage procurement guidance documents for
municipalities.
14.
Job announcement: Marin County is hiring for a Sustainability Program
Planner! For more information click here.
15.
Job announcement: MCE is hiring for several positions, including a Customer
Programs Specialist and Customer Programs Manager! For more information,
click here.
That’s all for this week!
Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update
Here
are your wEEkly updates:
1.
Events Galore: To start off strong: registration is now open for
the California
Adaptation Forum, September 7-8th in Long Beach.
2.
ZNE Webinar 6/15: Learn about a recent zero net energy (ZNE) study and how
industry leaders are not waiting to take advantage of this $1.3 trillion market
in this webinar
from Build It Green.
3.
Multifamily ZNE Workshop 6/24: Hear zero net energy (ZNE) expertise speak
to SF’s Chinatown Community Development Center, and available technical
assistance and incentives at this 6/24
workshop on ZNE in multifamily in San Francisco. For more on ZNE
click here.
4.
CEC Resiliency Workshop 6/21: last week’s announcement of resiliency
grants from PG&E was a popular item: to get engaged on resiliency,
adaptation, and energy, join this
CEC Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) workshop focused on
resiliency and adaptation June 21st. For more on resiliency, click here.
5.
Local Government-Utility Partnerships Evaluation 6/20: California’s
investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and Evergreen Economics invite you to attend
a webinar
presentation June 20th on the new draft plan for evaluating local
government partnerships (LGPs).
6.
EDAC Quarterly Meeting 6/21: Also June 21st: the Energy Data
Access Committee is holding its quarterly meeting – RSVP
to join in person or by webinar.
7.
EE in Pneumatics 6/23: making older pneumatic building systems efficient
can be a challenge – but converting to DDC controls is usually
cost-prohibitive. Learn about an energy efficient (and more cost efficient)
retrofit in this 6/23
webinar. (Or for more on EE in pneumatic building systems, see this
white paper.)
8.
Prop 39 Plans Due 6/30: Get the word out to schools and Local Educational
Agencies (LEAs) in your jurisdiction: Expenditure
Plan Applications are due at the end of the month. For more on
funding, click here.
9.
CAEECC Update: Hear an
update from the Coordinating Committee on the business plan
development process for California EE programs and funding – including notes
from past meetings and announcement of a next meeting 7/13.
10.
Electric and Efficient Vehicle $$ from DOE: Earlier this week the U.S.
Dept. of Energy announced
$22 million to support research, development, and demonstration of
innovative plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) and direct injection propane engine
technologies, as well as community-based projects to accelerate the adoption of
light, medium, and heavy duty vehicles that operate on fuels such as biodiesel,
electricity, E85, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane.
CEC
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding: Presentations
are now available from CEC’s 6/6 workshop.
11.
$3 million from San Diego’s APCD: The San Diego County Air Pollution
Control District is currently
accepting applications for the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality
Standards Attainment Grant Program.
12.
Benchmarking best practices: benchmarking building energy use is a great
practice for good management and discovery of energy-saving opportunities – and
if becoming more and more widespread with AB 802 implementation. Learn how to
best leverage benchmarking in this eBook, Building
Energy Benchmarking & Transparency Laws. For more on benchmarking,
click here.
13.
EPA Portfolio Support and More: while on benchmarking, new
federal webcasts are available for Portfolio Manager support, Tribal
Renewable Energy, and more.
14.
Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe Microgrid: for inspiration on tribal renewable
energy (and beyond), check out this case
study.
15.
EE Code trainings and resources: The 2016 Title 24 standards become
effective in 2017. Are you ready? Learn more about new fact
sheets, resources and training offerings from Energy Code Ace.
16. Blueprint Newsletter:
The California Energy Commission (CEC)’s Blueprint May/June newsletter is out!
See newsletter highlights,
including lighting compliance and electric water heater guidance, and read the
newsletter in full.
17.
Lighting Code Webinar: the California Advanced Homes Program is hosting
a webinar 6/28 to help prepare for 2016 code lighting requirements –
join yourself, or share with your buildings community!
18.
Big energy savings from water savings: Saving water saves energy: less
water used means less water pumped, less water heated or cooled, and less water
treated – but how much? A new
study from UC Davis helps us understand just
how significant those energy savings are.
19.
Fontana tests operational ZNE: The development of zero net energy (ZNE)
homes in Fontana announced
this April got press in the New York Times article: A
Suburban Experiment Aims for Free Energy. Hear feedback from the
Genaus, a family living in one of the homes (and seeing utility bills of $10 on
their 2,800 sq.ft. 3-bedroom residence), and check out a great slide show of
the homes.
20.
Reaching Low-Income Communities: New
case studies from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency share best
practices in reaching low-income communities with EE and renewable energy
resources.
21.
Advanced Energy in Huntington Beach: Congratulations to the City of
Huntington Beach for its award of CEC EPIC Program funding for energy
efficiency, renewables, zero net energy, and new technologies deployment under
the Advanced Energy Communities program. Learn more about the project here.
22.
CAP Adopted: Congratulations to Del Mar, whose City Council voted
unanimously to adopt its climate action plan (CAP), which aims to cut the
city’s greenhouse gas emissions in half in less than 20 years. Learn more about
the CAP’s priorities here.
23.
Green real estate resources: Last week’s post on next week’s greenrealtor
training in Yolo County was also popular. Here are some additional
green realtor certification trainings in Anaheim
(June 29th/30th) and Burbank
(July 25th/26th). Or, check out our new trainings resources page.
24.
Job Announcement: Cal State University Long Beach is hiring for an Energy
Analyst! Learn more here.
25.
Job Announcement: The Local Government Commission is hiring for a Climate
Change Coordinator! Learn more here.
26.
Finally, there will be no WEEkly Updates next week due to the 7th Annual
SEEC Forum June 15th-16th in Riverside. We have
record registrations from local governments across the state, and a great line up of local
government, utility, state, and expert-led sessions: I hope to see you there!
You
can keep track of relevant events by connecting to the EE
Events Calendar, and find more resources being added daily on the EECoordinator website – including
past WEEkly Updates.
That’s all for this week!
Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update
Here are your wEEkly updates:
- 179D Government Savings Extended
The Section 179D deduction of the Internal Revenue Code encourages energy efficiency in building design and construction. Originally enacted as part of the 2005 Energy Policy Act, it was extended through 12/31/16. 179D provides a retroactive opportunity for savings from investments in energy efficiency in all new and existing government buildings. - Lawmakers Review Prop 39 Outcomes
A Senate committee heard updates this week on Proposition 39, a ballot initiative that has generated more than $1.1 billion for California schools and community colleges to boost energy efficiency and create green jobs. The initiative was sold to voters in 2012 as a way to generate billions for green energy projects at California schools and create 11,000 jobs each year. However, it has not raised as much as expected. The Associated Press reported last August that less than $300 million had been distributed to schools and only 1,700 jobs created in three years. - EPA's RE-Powering Electronic Decision Tree
This interactive tool helps interested parties screen for the suitability of solar photovoltaics or wind installations on landfills, potentially contaminated sites, and underutilized parcels or rooftops. It provides a step-by-step walk-through of key considerations for renewable energy development at the sight, suggested resources to help you answer screening questions, and reports summarizing your answers and initial findings about the site and next steps. This tool was developed under EPA's RE-Powering America's Lands initiative. - How Energy Efficiency Can Help Manage the Duck Curve
Given the changing load shape, the role of energy efficiency can no longer be a focus on lowering overall kWh or therms. Instead, we'll all have to change the way we think about and deploy energy efficiency to be treated as actual energy capacity. It will need to become a form of "supply" that can be deployed in real time to help climb the steep neck of the duck curve. - Calendar of Energy-Related Events
Please forward events to statewideenergycoordinator@lgc.org so that they can be added to the calendar.
Special Announcement: Enroll Today for LGC's Groundwater Sustainability Training!
LGC is offering workshops for local agency staff to gain a better understanding of groundwater management in their region, impacts of recent legislation, and tools for effective stakeholder engagement. These full-day training's will take place from 8:30am-5:00pm (cost: $50, lunch and refreshments included) in the following locations:
January 26th - Northern San Joaquin Valley - Robert Cabral Agricultural Center in Stockton, CA
January 28th - Sacramento Valley - Wheatland Community Center in Marysville, CA
January 28th - Sacramento Valley - Wheatland Community Center in Marysville, CA
This workshop is offered at a highly reduced rate, thanks to financial support from the California Employment Training Panel, and requires a 3-step registration process:
Have your employer complete the Enrollment Form
Complete the Registration Form
Sign up for the Training
Complete the Registration Form
Sign up for the Training
Once you enroll, you and your co-workers can attend any of our Drought Response and Resilience Training's! Upcoming topics include: community water conservation and incentive programs, reducing onsite water and energy demand, water efficient landscape ordinance (WELO), and urban forestry and drought.
And that is all for this week!
Guest Blogger: Can solar calm the coming storm?
Tom Cotter is a renewable energy evangelist, social entrepreneur, activist, trained presenter for the Climate Reality Project, and ordained minister. Professionally, Tom is Regional Sales Manager at Real Goods Solar. He is Chairman and President of the International Green Industry Hall of Fame and serves on the boards of both the Solar Living Institute and Restore Hetch Hetchy. You can learn more about Tom on his website, SolarTomCotter.
This article was originally published on November 9 on the Examiner.com.
This article was originally published on November 9 on the Examiner.com.
 |
| A screen-grab of the Hurricane Sandy Wind Map infographic taken at 10:26 AM 30 Oct 2012. The surface wind data in this beautiful wind map from Hint.fm (Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg) comes from the National Digital Forecast Database. |
Going solar is part of solving the climate disruption we are experiencing.
Though climate change failed to emerge as a topic during the 2012 presidential debates, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg did raise it in the final days before the election and in the wake of Hurrican Sandy's devastation, citing President Barack Obama's leadership on the issue as his reason for endorsing the president for a second term.
“Our climate is changing,” Bloomberg wrote for Bloomberg View. “And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be - given this week’s devastation - should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action.”
If the issue is indeed now on the table, the next question is what can we do to slow or reverse the effects of climate change?
Clean energy is a key part of the equation. Clean energy creates electricity by tapping into natural cycles and systems, turning the ever-present energy around us into usable forms while producing little or no pollution, including avoiding greenhouse gas emissions.
Out of the variety of clean energy sources, solar power, geothermal, ocean currents, wind, hydroelectric and biomass, solar is an obvious strong option, especially in California, where we typically have lots of sun.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, solar energy from the sun is a vast and inexhaustible resource around the globe. Just 20 days of sunshine contains more energy than the world’s entire supply of coal, oil, and natural gas.
In Fresno County, California, which suffers, even in good times, from more enduring high unemployment than the rest of the state and nation, solar is an even brighter spot.
Data from the California Solar Initiative (CSI) shows that solar growth over the past several years has primarily come from lower and middle income zip codes. With an average median zip code income of $43,000, Fresno County saw a 122 percent increase in CSI applications from 2007 to 2011.
In looking at what is going on across the country with solar jobs, the solar industry in the U.S. increased its workforce by 6.8 percent from August 2010 to August 2011, according Solar Energy Industry of America. That is a growth of nearly ten times faster than the overall economy.
More good news for Californians is the passing of Proposition 39, which is estimated to create 20,000 to 30,000 jobs for disadvantaged youth, veterans and others in clean energy projects and building efficiency retrofits. In closing a tax loophole that gave out-of-state corporations an unfair advantage over those based in-state, this change will increase annual state revenues by roughly $1 billion, with half - capped at $550 million - going to a new state Clean Energy Job Creation Fund for the first five years and the remainder going into the state’s general fund, according to the Yes on Prop 39 website. It accomplishes this without raising taxes on Californians.
Those are the kind of positive economic force the Valley can use. Jobs, lower energy costs and efficient buildings that are cheaper to operate are not only a win for residents, but also for our environment.
Scientists tell us that by continually dumping 90 million tons of pollution into the atmosphere every single day, we are altering the environment in which all storms develop. As the oceans and atmosphere continue to warm, storms are becoming more energetic and powerful. We are beginning to see the effects on humans from this atmospheric experiment.
The impacts of climate change can be daunting, even frightening. But we are not helpless. It is wise and prudent to increase our use of available and affordable clean forms of energy. These choices will reduce global warming pollution and help turn things around both now and for the future.
As this planet is the only home we have for now, we have an obligation to ourselves and to future generations to be responsible stewards.
If you like this article, please Share it, Tweet it, Subscribe (above) or LikeSolarTomCotter on Facebook.
The views expressed by our guest bloggers are those of the author(s) and not necessarily representative of or an endorsement by the Organization.