Solar San Diego

Geothermal Plant to Re-Open in Lake County, CA

Reuters reporst that a dormant 55 megawatt geothermal power plant will re-open.

A 55-megawatt geothermal power plant dormant since 1990 has been given the OK to reopen, the California California Energy Commission said on Thursday.

The Bottle Rock Geothermal Power Plant will initially operate at 20 megawatts with plans to expand.

The plant in the Geysers Geothermal Field, 75 miles north of San Francisco in Lake County, will be operated by the Bottle Rock Power Corp. In October 2005, the US Renewables Group of Santa Monica, California bought controlling interest in Bottle Rock.

Read the entire article here.

Glam to Be Green says BW

BusinessWeek's has a piece about how "going green" in one's residence, through the use of renewable energy, has a rising cachet.

Is green the new black? Over one million U.S. households now warm their homes in the winter with heat from the earth instead of using furnaces or fuel lines. Elton John, Richard Branson—the chief executive of Virgin Airlines—and Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft (MSFT), use ground-source energy in their homes too.

Even George W. Bush has a geothermal system in his vacation home in Crawford, Tex. Designed by architect David Heymann, Prairie Chapel Ranch captures solar energy and has a cistern that gathers rainwater and wastewater, purifies it, and then uses it to irrigate the greenery around the Presidential vacation home.

The article goes on to discuss how renewables are changing the face of the US housing market as homeowners purchase solar arrays and wind turbines and socialy conscious homeonwners equip their homes with renewables.

Turning To The Earth for Clean Energy in Indonesia

The Associated Press has an interesting article about the promise of geothermal energy in Indonesia as well as the numerous roadblocks to full utilization of this resource that could end all oil imports by the archipelago nation.      

Southern California Edison Signs With Seven

Southern California Edison has signed seven new renewable power contracts with renewable energy producers:

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Nov. 17, 2006 - Southern California Edison (SCE) this week signed and will submit to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) seven new long-term contracts with independent renewable energy power generators.  The agreements secure for utility customers a potential of 324 megawatts (MW) of clean power, the amount needed to serve 190,000 average homes.  The utility also announced it is making significant progress on several other initiatives designed to further strengthen its renewable power portfolio, already the nation’s largest.

Read the entire press release here.

Once Again, Yes on Proposition 87, Do Not Believe Oil Company Lies

On Tuesday, November 7, 2006, California voters will have the opportunity to vote for a step toward energy independence and a cleaner environment for all Californians.   Proposition 87 will impose a tax of  1.5 to 6%, on the extraction of oil in California, depending on the price of oil.   Similar taxes are imposed by other states including Alaska, Louisiana, Okalahoma and even Texas.  Other states ask oil companies to pay their fair share, like all citizens do, why shouldn't California be the same.  The Proposition will  fund  a California Energy Independence Fund with the fund of up to $4 billion used for programs to be administered by new California Energy Alternatives Program Authority.  The Authority will be composed of nine members from the environmental, business, health and energy fields.  The Authority will be tasked with (from the legislative analysis of the Proposition [PDF]):   

• Gasoline and Diesel Use Reduction Account (57.50  Percent)—for incentives (for example, consumer loans,  grants, and subsidies) for the purchase of alternative fuel  vehicles, incentives for producers to supply alternative  fuels, incentives for the production of alternative fuel  infrastructure (for example, fueling stations), and grants  and loans for private research into alternative fuels and  alternative fuel vehicles.

• Research and Innovation Acceleration Account  (26.75 Percent)—for grants to California universities  to improve the economic viability and accelerate the  commercialization of renewable energy technologies and  energy effi ciency technologies.

• Commercialization  Acceleration  Account  (9.75  Percent)—for incentives to fund the start-up costs and  accelerate the production and distribution of petroleum  reduction, renewable energy, energy efficiency,  and  alternative fuel technologies and products.

• Public Education and Administration Account (3.50  Percent)—for public education campaigns, oil market  monitoring, and general administration. Of the 3.5 percent,  at least 28.5 percent must be spent for public education,  leaving a maximum of 71.5 percent of the 3.5 percent (or  roughly 2.5 percent of total revenues) for the Authority’s  administrative costs.

• Vocational Training Account (2.50 Percent)—for job  training at community colleges to train students to work  with new alternative energy technologies.   

The cost of the oil tax, will not be able to be passed onto consumers by the oil companies who have fleeced the people of California with some of the highest prices in the nation and taken home record profits.  Through the Proposition, incentives would  lower the  amount of fossil fuel use helping our atmosphere, reducing global warming and impacting public health.  California has an opportunity once again in November to be a leader and a shining example in care for the environment, reducing global warming, and clean renewable energy for the nation and for the planet.  I am sure that by now you have heard and seen many advertisements in opposition to Proposition 87.   Do not believe the lies that are being spread by the oil companies, their energy allies and special interests.  They have sunk to new lows with their deceptive advertising bombarding the airwaves with deception as thick as the oil they pump freely.  Take a stand for energy independence and a cleaner environment and vote yes on Propostion 87. 

Newsweek: Environmentalism is no longer the province of the left.

Newsweek International repors that environmetalism is spreading from leftist to conservatives:

It seems like a hippie entrepreneur's dream come true: an ecostore with cash registers powered by rooftop wind turbines, skylights instead of light bulbs and photovoltaic solar cells on the roof to help power the bakery's oven. It's so environmentally friendly that even the toilet water is collected from raindrops outside. Only this is not some pipe dream of a fringe activist. The vision comes from Tesco, the world's third largest retailer.

The article goes on to discuss how this retailer has become green and how environmentalism has spread to conservatives, citing examples in many countries in Europe and even Governor Schwartzenegger's greening and goes on to discuss the flood of IPOs and private equity money into renewable energy companies. 

Clean Energy Funding is Soaring; Energy Efficiency is "Sexier"

RedHerring.com has a piece about the surge in funding of clean energy companies by private equity and venture capital firms.  One of the companies touted is Nanosolar, discussed in these pages in June.  Read the article here.  A companion piece explores how energy efficiency has become "sexier." 

Mary Bono is a Strong Voice for Clean Alternative Energy

She's got us Babe!  The California Chronicle says that Congresswoman Mary Bono is a strong supporter of clean alternative energy.   According to the website, Bono made the following statement last Friday at a Congressional Hearng entitled "Unlocking America's Energy Resources: Next Generation:

"Mr. Chairman: I am very pleased you are holding this hearing today. Too often, Congress is so consumed with the here and now that we don't take time to look towards the future. This hearing lets us talk about the future.

While government has a role to play in this debate, it is my belief that the private sector, as well as our colleges and universities, can and must play a critical role in bringing forth new and innovative technologies.  Too often, states and local communities are dependent on only a few sources of energy. As we see in California, when the cost of natural gas rises, so too do our cooling bills. In the California desert, the sweltering summer months must be met with plentiful and affordable cooling. It is not a luxury but rather a necessity. So in order not to be wedded to a single large source of generation, I believe that we can and should look to diversify. But our efforts should not stop there - we need to look at a diverse portfolio that includes alternative sources of clean and efficient energy.

All of us have read about various forms of renewable sources of energy. Many of these sources, like solar, wind and geothermal, are not new to us. In fact, these sources of energy are thriving in California's 45th Congressional District. But the technologies associated with these forms of generation are changing and they are changing for the better. The government's goal should be to encourage honing and improving upon these technologies.

There are also lesser known sources of renewable energy that are a bit more cutting edge. Here, our goal should be to foster the growth of promising new resources and then find a way to incorporate those into the market.

It is my hope that this hearing will shed light on both well known and lesser known forms of energy that can and should be part of our nation's future. I want to know how Congress can play a positive role in partnering with others to help create new forms of energy that are clean and affordable."

Bravo, Congresswoman Bono, we need more members of Congress with the same vision! 

The New Home of Solar San Diego

Welcome to the new home of Solar San Diego: solarsandiego.net.  I am a San Diego resident and will be using this space to be "Advocating the Harnessing of Alternative Energy for Our Environment and to Reduce our Dependency on Fossil Fuels in San Diego and Beyond Southern California."

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