Community Energy Resilience

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In this new solar-powered apartment complex, all 600 units have batteries that form a virtual power plant

Solar Panel Power Generation. by mrganso found on https://www.needpix.com/photo/1123513/photovoltaic-system-solar-solar-energy-solar-panel-photovoltaic-renewable-energy-revolution-power-generation-solar-field

by Adele Peters, Fast Company Highlights: A Salt Lake City apartment complex, named Soleil Lofts, is the first to incorporate solar plus storage into every unit. The local utility will use solar and storage as a virtual power plant and will avoid using fossil fuels during peak hours The developing company, Wasatch Group, used batteries … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience Energy Efficiency
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The Climate Center Lauds Governor Newsom’s Energy Vision: Proposes Details on How to Implement Vision

Santa Rosa, CA – The Climate Center lauds Governor Newsom for the high-level vision articulated in his energy, climate and wildfire speech earlier today before the Public Policy Institute of California. “Kudos to Governor Newsom for articulating a compelling vision for a clean, decentralized, reliable, safe and affordable future electricity system in California,” said Ellie Cohen, … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience
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New policy roadmap to combat wildfires, prevent power shutoffs and increase community resilience

Oakland, CA — Climate and clean energy experts released a new policy roadmap today to guide California state policymakers who want to use clean energy to combat wildfires and power outages. The roadmap details proposals that would accelerate the clean energy transition, transform the outdated investor-owned utility business model, and modernize the power system. “The 2020 wildfire season might … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience
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PG&E’s fossil fuel-powered microgrids

Workers install portions of the 8.5 megawatt-per-hour battery system at Fort Carson, Colorado. Huntsville Center’s Energy Savings Performance Contracting program coordinated the project designed to reduce peak electricity use costs, especially during the summer cooling season. (Photo by Scott Clark) found on by Scott Clark, found on https://www.hnc.usace.army.mil/Media/Images/igphoto/2002081389/

by Kavya Balaraman, Utility Dive Highlights: The towns of Angwin, Calistoga, Placerville, and Grass Valley are part of PG&E’s effort to build a network of “resilience zones” and temporary microgrids in portions of its service territory that are especially vulnerable to fire-related outages. PG&E deployed 23 MW of temporary generation from fossil fuel power (diesel) … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience Fossil Fuels
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Opinion: Microgrids could prevent need for planned power outages

Community microgrids are safe, reliable, clean, smart, and distributed.

Our aging and unstable electrical system must be replaced now, not decades from now This piece was originally published in the Mercury News opinion section on October 25, 2019. (Subscription required.) The dramatic increase in the size and severity of California’s wildfires in recent years is just one example of the devastating effects of climate … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience Energy Efficiency
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Is 100% renewable energy doable?

With the publication of a study by Mark Z. Jacobson of Stanford University, the push for 100% renewables is seeing renewed fervor.  A group of U.S. Mayors just announced that they will back 100% renewable energy targets, and Senator Kevin de León recently introduced a new bill, SB100, to establish an overall state target of 100% clean … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience Fossil Fuels
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California Number One in Grid Modernization

By Woody Hastings, CCP  |  February 10, 2016 California ranks number one in terms of modernizing its electrical grid for the 21st century according to a new study by the GridWise Alliance in collaboration with Clean Edge. The study also finds that the number of smart meters capable of two-way communication surpassed that of old-fashioned … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience
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Want More Renewables? Think About Storage.

I attended a symposium last week hosted by Joint Venture Silicon Valley on energy storage.  As renewable energy becomes an increasingly significant part of California’s generation resources, storage will become critically important.  Enough solar pv has been installed in the last few years to actually change the peak demand profile of the load in California. … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience