Up to Half of Solar Costs are Administrative, DOE Says · Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader

Up to Half of Solar Costs are Administrative, DOE Says · Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader

2013 Solar Decathalon Coming to Irvine in 2013!

The US Department of Energy announced last week that the 2013 Solar Decathlon will be held in our back yard! In addition to welcoming 20 new collegiate teams and hundreds of new student decathletes to the 2013 competition, DOE announced a new site: the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. This venue will provide a stage worthy of displaying the teams’ energy-efficient, solar-powered houses to the world.

The Solar Decathlon challenges international collegiate teams to design and build solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive while promoting the education and economic benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency.  Visitors will be able to tour the renewable energy houses that combine energy-efficient construction and appliances at a specially-constructed Great Park Solar Village in the fall of 2013.

The Great Park received broad-based community support to stage the 2013 Solar Decathlon from many of the region’s elected officials, educational institutions and clean energy organizations, including Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Representatives John Campbell and Loretta Sanchez, Scott Samuleson, Director of the Advanced Power and Energy Program at the University of California Irvine, Bill Habermehl, Superintendent, Orange County Department of Education, the Orange County Business Council, the Building Industry Association of Orange County, Clean TechOC and Southern California Edison.

We have already made contact with the DOE on volunteer opportunities. How else would you like to help bring international attention to renewable energy here in Orange County? Let us know!

CleanTech San Diego Symposium - March 6

CleanTECH San Diego &
The Solar Electric Power Association
present
San Diego Solar Energy Symposium
TUESDAY | MARCH 6TH, 2012
1:00 - 4:30 PM


University of San Diego
University Center Forums A, B, and C
Reception to follow from 4:30 - 6:30 PM
University of San Diego
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice

A recent report identified San Diego as having the most rooftop solar installations in the state. To ensure this continued success, CleanTECH San Diego and the Solar Electric Power Association are offering a half-day Solar Energy Symposium on March 6 at the University of San Diego to discuss the future of solar energy in the region. Experts will share information about the expansion of solar energy in San Diego, discuss its benefits, address misconceptions and identify ways to build a foundation for long-term solar growth.

Register for this event at
sdsolarenergysymposium2012.eventbrite.com

About CleanTECH San Diego | CleanTECH San Diego is a private, non-profit member organization formed in 2007. As one of the nation's premier cleantech cluster organizations, its mission is to position the region as a global leader in the cleantech economy. CleanTECH San Diego serves as a catalyst for a diverse group of stakeholders to advance a common agenda.
www.cleantechsandiego.org

About SEPA | The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is an educational non-profit organization dedicated to helping utilities integrate solar energy into their portfolio. From facilitating peer-to-peer interaction between utilities and the solar industry to hosting one of the industry's leading educational forums on utility solar, SEPA is the go-to resource for unbiased utility solar information.
www.solarelectricpower.org

Advocacy - Regional Transportation Plans Are Limited in Renewable Energy

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has been tasked with creating "Sustainable Community Strategies" (SCS) under a law known as SB 375.  SB 375 was enacted to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from automobiles and light trucks through integrated transportation, land use, housing and environmental planning. Using the regional GHG emissions reduction targets set by the California Air Resources Board (ARB), SCAG is tasked with developing a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), a newly required element of the 2012 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) that sets a plan for meeting the GHG emissions reduction targets.

SCAG has drafted a Regional Transportation Plan that spans from 2012 to 2035. There's a tremendous amount of data and reporting going on. But, if you'd like, you can read the entire plan here. You can also visit the draft plan's page at this location - it's much easier to break it down into sections.

The bottom line is this: There is only one mention of renewable energy throughout the entire draft report.

Page 81 says "The [Preliminary Environmental Impact Report] also includes mitigation measures relating to energy designed to reduce consumption and increase the use and availability of renewable sources of energy in the region. Since these measures not only reduce energy consumption but also reduce GHG emissions they are addressed above under GHG."

Public comment ends on Tuesday, February 14. I would encourage everyone to fill out the public comment form in support of renewable energy.

SCAG had an Energy Working Group that was active in this issue up until 2007. Encouraging SCAG to bring back the Energy Working Group to help build some renewable energy infrastructure in Orange County and all of Southern California would be a step in the right direction.

For more questions or comments, please contact Mike Harmanos.

February Meeting Announcement: James Kao

The next meeting of OC Renewables will be held on Thursday, February 9, 6:30 PM, at the Duck Club in Irvine.

Our speaker will be James Kao, Member of the Advisory Board of Power To The People. James is a city planner with experience in landscape architecture, urban design, smart growth, green building and sustainable communities.  He currently works at the City of Signal Hill near Long Beach where he has begun coordinating development and implementation of a sustainable city plan.  James holds a BS degree in landscape architecture from Cornell University and a Masters in Real Estate Development from USC.  He is a lifelong outdoors and nature enthusiast with a passion for world culture, languages and adventure travel and has traveled extensively throughout Latin America and Europe.  James is a proponent of developing sustainable communities powered by renewable energy here and abroad and is also a member of a dozen environmental advocacy organizations that focus on alternative transportation, urban forestry, wildlife conservation, and environmental education. 

We will also introduce the Board of Trustees for 2012 and talk about our plans for the upcoming year.

Hope to see you on Thursday the 9th at 6:30!

Holiday Party - Tuesday, December 6th

Once again, we will co-host our holiday party with Young Professionals in Energy - Orange County. The party will be held at the Red Chair Lounge in the Hyatt in Huntington Beach.  The address is 21500 Pacific Coast Highway, HB, CA 92648.

The party will be on Tuesday, December 6th from 7:00 to 9:30 pm.

RSVPs not necessary and it's a cash bar. We will also have a "white elephant" gift exchange, if you're interested. Hope to see you there!

Upcoming 2012 Officer Election

We will have an election for all six OC Renewables members starting next week.

Voting is eligible to members of OC Renewables only.  If you would like to vote, you may become a member by 11:59 PM on Thursday, October 27.  Click here to join. 

Members will vote on the following offices for the 2012 term:

• President
• Vice President - Events
• Vice President - Membership
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Social Media and Publicity Director

You may find a list of all job descriptions for each office here.

Nominations will be taken from the floor at the October meeting next Thursday, October 13th. 

Each member will receive a ballot by Friday, October 14.
Write in candidates are acceptable.
Ballots are due at noon on Thursday, November 10.
The winners will be announced at the November meeting.

Please contact Lori Greene if you have any questions.