Best of the Week of June 20, 2011

The California Energy Commission’s PIER program conducted three workshops seeking input on program direction. Use the following links to view the program overview presentations and related files.

• Program overview presentations
• Related documents (Charter for Advisory Groups and Research Initiatives Report)

PIER has reorganized its eight or so programs under three offices: 1) Smart Infrastructure, 2) Renewable Energy, and 3) Efficiency. There are no major directional changes to report but of course the Governor’s Clean Energy and Jobs Plan is driving adjustments in emphasis, including an emphasis on timely results in support of 2020 goals. What is completely new is the formation of “sub-advisory” groups under PIER’s standing Advisory Board. These groups were convened to hear and comment on PIER’s forward plans. They will serve as gatekeepers for funding decisions going forward.

I had time to attend two of the three workshops. I agree with the many advisory group members who applauded PIER staff presentations and efforts to organize the workshops. Staff accomplished this while also carrying the normal workload of managing large project portfolios. The new office structure will encourage closer collaboration among PIER’s programs and staff. For example, environmental assessment projects related to renewable energy are now under the same overall leadership as renewable energy RD&D projects.

It was gratifying to hear PIER’s plans to fund a California Renewable Energy Research Center to focus on assessments and analysis enabling renewable energy deployment from building to utility scale. It was also gratifying to note that one of Cal-IRES’ efforts this year was referenced in relation to the Renewable Energy Program, i.e. the RESCO Symposium we organized in February for PIER.

Gerry Braun
Director, Cal-IRES
June 28, 2011

Complete Keywords: Smart Infrastructure, Smart Grid, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, PIER, California Renewable Energy Research Center, CREC, Energy Policy Drivers, Hybrid Energy Generation, Combined Heat and Power (CHP), Distributed Generation (DG), RESCO, Community Scale Renewable Energy

LISTSERV: June Updates

Reports:

• California Energy Futures Report was officially released by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) on May 24th. For this and other CCST energy reports, visit: http://www.ccst.us/publications/index.php Attendees of the April 4, 2011 Cal-IRES Forum heard a preview of results, which can be seen in video or in highlights on the forum proceedings page: http://cal-ires.ucdavis.edu/events/2011-cal-ires-forum/
• The California Energy Commission has published the PIER project report: Energy-Efficient Community Development in California: Chula Vista
  

News:
5/19: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom joined UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, California Energy Commissioner Carla Peterman and others for a tour of UC Davis West Village, being billed as the largest zero net energy development of its kind in the country. http://www.ltg.ca.gov/news.php?id=25 Background: In September 2010, the California Public Utilities Commission awarded UC Davis $2.495 million under the California Solar Initiative RD&D Solicitation #2 to complete a program of research, development and demonstration targeting 1) innovative production technologies and 2) innovative business models related to solar PV. The Cal-IRES Program is charged with managing the former and the West Village Energy Initiative Project Team is charged with managing the latter. A portion of this research builds on the California Energy Commission's Renewable Energy Secure Communities (RESCO) Project.

Events:

• 6/7: 10-11:30 am PDT (1: 2:30 pm Eastern) WEBINAR: Offshore Wind: Port and Staging Area Needs and Status.
  
• May reports, presentations and recordings of six California Energy Commission 2011 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) Workshop Proceedings held in May.
  

Pending California Renewable Energy Integration Legislation:

• SB 679 (Pavley) This bill would appropriate all unencumbered funds originally appropriated in SB 77 and designated for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. The Senate Appropriations Committee reduced the appropriation from $50 million to $25 for low-interest energy efficiency revolving loans to local governments and public institutions.
• SB 771 (Kehoe) The California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority is charged with establishing a renewable energy program to provide financial assistance to public power entities, independent generators, utilities, or businesses manufacturing components or systems to generate new and renewable energy sources, etc. This bill would expand the definition of "renewable energy" to include energy generation based on landfill gas turbines, digester gas turbines, and microturbines.
• SB 790 (Leno) This bill would clarify the statutes that authorize local governments to implement Community Choice Aggregation, a program that allows communities to pool, or aggregate, the electric load of their residents, businesses and other institutions in order to procure and generate electricity on their behalf.

Latest Blog: What do efficient refrigeration, solar panel production and samba music have in common?

We are delighted to share UC Davis graduate, Daniel Eisenberg’s news. You may have met Daniel at the April 2011 Cal-IRES Forum. He and Karen Eggerman, Cal-IRES Associate, prepared the Forum Highlights found on our proceedings page.

Daniel has won a Fulbright scholarship to conduct refrigeration energy efficiency research in Florianopolis, Brazil, beginning in March 2012. The research focus will be on making household refrigeration compressors more thermodynamically efficient. Refrigerators use a major portion of household energy, so this research could have significant societal benefits. Since the research will be conducted at the POLO laboratories at Universidade Federal Santa Catarina with its many ties to major refrigerator manufacturers, it is likely that successful completion of his project will be quickly implemented for consumer use. A secondary focus for his Fulbright scholarship is to become more culturally aware and invested into Brazilian society through music. Daniel has significant experience playing in Brazilian samba schools, and plans to join other local drum ensembles to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be Brazilian.

In the meantime, Daniel has a full-time research position for the Chemical Engineering & Materials Science department at UC Davis. While working on viscoelastic fluid characterization and a life cycle analysis on the health hazards of solar panel production, he is also learning much about state-of-the-art solar panel design and production.

LISTSERV: Cal-IRES Forum Proceedings; April/May Updates

• Proceedings, including event highlights, video, album and presentations for our Second Annual Cal-IRES Forum, held on April 4, are now available: http://cal-ires.ucdavis.edu/events/2011-cal-ires-forum/ Thanks again to all speakers, moderators and attendees for your contributions and participation! After you’ve had a chance to view the proceedings, we would still appreciate receiving your comments on the event, whether you attended in person or watched the video/s; a form is available here: Evaluation Form; Student Evaluation Form.
  
  
• USRE Awards: On March 21 the Energy Commission posted their Notice of Proposed Award for RFP # 500-10-503 (Research Needs for Utility-Scale Renewable Energy). Congratulations to Clean Power Research and KEMA for their respective awards!
  
  
• Offshore Wind: Advisor Geir Vollsaeter alerted us that SWAY has signed a contract with Met Centre in Norway http://www.metcentre.no/ for full-scale testing of a 2.6 MW floating offshore wind turbine. Deployment will occur in 2013 and will run for 5 years. Meanwhile in Massachusetts, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement approved construction and operation of the 468MW, 130 turbine Cape Wind offshore wind farm in late April, the last of required state and federal permits obtained over ten years for the Nantucket sound project.
  
  
• Presentation: On April 25, Gerry Braun spoke at the Special Meeting of the Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority, Board of Directors Study Session on Community Choice Aggregation. His presentation summarizes the steps, benefits, risks and guidebooks available to pursue this option. Community Choice Aggregation Overview.
  
  
• Special Note: We were saddened to learn that Marin County Supervisor Charles McGlashan died in late March while heading home from a ski trip. His energy and environmental community leadership is a loss to us all. http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_17717931
  
  
• Upcoming Events:
  
  5/9: 9:30 am (Sacramento or by Web Conference) Energy Commission Committee Workshop on Renewable, Localized Generation http://www.energy.ca.gov/2011_energypolicy/notices/2011-05-09_workshop_notice.pdf
  
  5/16: 8 am (San Francisco) Gerry Braun and Cal-IRES Advisory Board Chair Matt LeCar are panelists for the Power Association of Northern California (PANC) Annual Spring Seminar 10:45 am Panel 2: Maintaining Grid Reliability in an Intermittent World http://www.panc.org/meetings.shtml

LISTSERV: RFQ: West Village Renewable-Based Energy Secure Community (RESCO), Energy and Financial Analysis Consulting Services

We wanted to notify you once again that the deadline to submit the West Village RFQ for Energy and Financial Analysis Consulting Services has been updated to April 28, 2011, 5:00 p.m.

You can find the details and form to submit on the Cal-IRES web site here: http://cal-ires.ucdavis.edu/files/research/2011-04-WVEI-RFQ.doc

LISTSERV: RFQ: West Village Renewable-Based Energy Secure Community (RESCO), Energy and Financial Analysis Consulting Services

We wanted to notify you of a West Village RFQ released for Energy and Financial Analysis Consulting Services, due by April 21, 2011.

You can find the details and form to submit on the Cal-IRES web site here: http://cal-ires.ucdavis.edu/files/research/2011-04-WVEI-RFQ.doc

LISTSERV: Energy Week at UC Davis; Cal-IRES Forum

• Good News! For those who haven’t had a chance to register yet for the UC Energy Week at UC Davis April 4-April 7, 2011, the early registration fees have been extended to April 1! Space and on-site registration is limited, so we recommend you make plans soon. We hope you will be able to attend some or all of the events. http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=942856.
  
  
• The Second Annual Cal-IRES Forum, takes place on Monday, April 4, and will feature welcoming remarks by UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi and Bryan Jenkins, Director, UC Davis Energy Institute. The centerpiece will be a report by the California Council for Science and Technology on the topic of California’s Renewable Energy Future. Later sessions will include a policy roundtable reflecting on the study results and afternoon sessions to identify and hear industry views regarding strategic research to enable California’s renewable energy future. It’s possible this kickoff event will sell out.
  
  Visit the Cal-IRES Forum event page, where we post all the speaker bios and photos as received, updated agenda as changes occur, other specific information for our Forum, and eventually the proceedings. Please take a look at this page before proceeding to the registration link: http://cal-ires.ucdavis.edu/events/2011-cal-ires-forum/
  
  
• Free Webinar on April 7 Noon ET for communities on developing an energy plan and working with utilities, from Energy Forefront: Developing an Energy Plan & Working with Utilities. This is STEP 2 of a 5 part series on "Growing your Local Economy via Energy Savings & Low or No Cost Sustainable Energy.” Presented by Ron Horstman, Energy Consultant & Wayne Snider, Town Administrator, Fowler, Colorado. Ron Horstman has had over 30 years of experience in various aspects of renewable energy including creating relationships with utilities and integrated resource planning. His co-presenter, Wayne Snider, has taken the town of Fowler Colorado from a small conservative town to becoming a national example of how to create a green energy economy at low or no cost. To REGISTER or for more information: http://www.EnergyForefront.com/eventcity2.htm