News for January 15, 2002

Hydrogen pushed as new fuel for cars

New Solar Cell mimics Photosynthesis

Eye to the World - Swaziland's state-of-art solar panels in schools

IN BRIEF

San Francisco Solar - Not a Done Deal...Public Hearing Scheduled for Jan. 17th. ...A push is needed to make sure that Proposition B gets implemented as there are some in City government who believe that the energy crisis is over and large scale solar is therefore no longer a priority. There will be a hearing this Thursday January 17th at 3:00 PM in Room 263 in SF City Hall before the Finance Committee to discuss implementation of the solar bond. Apologies for the short notice, this meeting was just scheduled. Public comment is welcome. If you can, please come make your voice heard and press home the point that the environmental crisis is very much with us and the 73% of San Francisco voters who approved this measure want to see Prop B implemented quickly so San Francisco can be a model for other cities interested in fighting global warming. Let's do it right here in San Francisco. The rest of the country is watching. Thanks again for all your support on the campaign. Hope to see you on thursday [David Hochschild Vote Solar Initiative (415) 641-5874]

PV Rebates now available for All California Muni Electric Customers - per AB 29X, customers of California Municipal Electric Utilities are now eligible for rebates for Photovoltaic systems, $4.50/watt or up to 50%, for less than 10 kW sized systems. AB29X, passed in April 2001, allocates $8 Million for this program. First come first served. Customers can apply directly through the California Energy Commission Buydown Program. Program changes notice. Download a copy of the new guidebook [350kb pdf].....other utility incentives

Clean-Energy Markets: Five Trends to Watch in 2002 - The hydrogen infrastructure, carbon nanotubes, and the "Energy Web" are three of the leading clean-technology opportunities for investors, according to a new report, free from Clean Edge, Inc. -- a leading market research and consulting firm
focused on clean-technology -- describes a variety of issues that have aligned to offer unique opportunities in the clean-energy sector. They include security issues,
energy uncertainty, the need for power reliability, technological advances, environmental issues, the rise of the developing world, and investment commitments by
government, corporations, and venture capitalists.

Expanded Net Metering Tariffs near Approval at CPUC - The Energy Division of the California Public Utility Commission has issued two proposed resolutions to approve the expanded (i.e. up to 1 MW) net metering tariffs for SCE and PG&E. They are open for comment until January 28, replies due February 4. The resolutions are on the Commission's calendar for the February 7 meeting. They can be accessed on the web: PG&E ----SCE

Toward Zero Energy Homes - Beazer in Santa Clarita - When the writing appeared on the wall for California’s energy code Title 24 to change, Beazer Homes’ Southern California division took a head start to go beyond the new requirements. Beginning with REM Design computer simulations on three house models for the Stevenson’s Ranch subdivision in Santa Clarita, Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings[CARB]worked with the division to implement “Alternate Component Packages,” projected to drop cooling loads up to 50% compared to a current Title 24-compliant house. Now under construction, Stevenson’s Ranch is set for 35 completions in 2001 and 50 more in 2002. Beazer and CARB have now targeted the Palmdale area for two new subdivisions in the hot, dry climate, and CARB has begun analysis of their specifications. Since the homes are planned to employ concrete roofing tiles, SWA will explore the option of light-colored tiles to capture the cooling load reduction benefits as documented by Florida Solar Energy Center and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories studies.

San Diego Self-Generation Program Workshop - Jan 29 - The San Diego Regional Energy Office is sponsoring a FREE workshop for businesses and public agencies to present the new SDREO Energy Management Program and to provide an update on the SDREO Self-Generation Incentive Program for 2002. The Energy Management Program has two goals-one is to provide energy customers with information and resources to improve how they use energy through a FREE Energy Opportunities Assessment. A secondary goal is to design, install, and test a demand responsiveness system at the customer's site capable of providing automated peak load reduction. The Self-Generation Incentive Program provides cash incentives for energy customers to produce their own energy through "self generation" of electricity to provide for part or all of a customer's electric load. More info here.

Women's PV Design and Installation Workshop - Santa Cruz, CA-March 11-16, 2002 Mon-Sat, Cost:$550 - A PV Design and Installation workshop geared specifically towards women. Learn how to use photovoltaic technology to produce electricity from the sun through practical design and installation of PV systems. Participants learn system sizing, site analysis, hardware specification and component selection. The workshop covers typical applications and case study examples. Install an operational system in the field and learn the proper use of tools and safety precautions.For more information contact: Solar Energy International P.O. Box 715, Carbondale, CO 81623, Phone:(970) 963-8855, E-mail:sei@solarenergy.org, Website: www.solarenergy.org

Funding Green Buildings: Sources and Strategies - Sonoma State University 2002.01.22 from 12pm-5pm at Environmental Technology Center --Securing funding for energy efficient green buildings that make use of renewable energy sources, such as solar is the focus of a Sonoma State University sponsored workshop. The Environmental Technology Center, a high efficiency, solar powered green building, at Sonoma State University is hosting a "Funding Green Buildings: Sources and Strategies" workshop on Tuesday, January 22, 2002 from 12pm-5pm. This exciting workshop provides a 10-step "roadmap" for identifying "green" building financing sources, optimizing capital campaigns and maximizing grant-writing strategies. The presenter, Jan McAdams, uses case histories to describe creative
approaches to the financing and fundraising process. In addition to "funding readiness strategies" Jan describes the "Energywi$e 100: The 100 Major Public and Private Sources for Grants and Donations for Sustainable Building Design and Photovoltaics Applications." [Registration Information]..... [Agenda]

Workshops - Designing and Installing Code-Compliant Photovoltaic Systems - The California Energy Commission is sponsoring this series of workshops to promote the design and installation of high quality, cost effective PV systems. These workshops provide an intensive overview of small-scale solar electric generation, basic system design issues, and installation requirements to meet the National Electrical Code (NEC) and provide years of good performance. Check Endecon Website for Dates & Locations

Introduction to Alternate Energy Systems , taught by Tom Chatagnier. This is a short, introductory course on alternate energy systems. The topics include solar water heating systems, solar photovoltaic systems, wind energy systems, small hydro-electric systems and information on fuel cells. This course includes the theory and design of these alternate energy systems as well as hands-on building assembling of these systems. No experience necessary. The course is offered on 9 Saturdays during the school year, and during the summer in the evening, at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA. It is in the schedule under "Alternate Energy Technologies". The DVC website is: http://www.dvc.edu [This course is highly recommended, but needs increased enrollment so it can continue to be offered at the school. The school is a community college, so the courses are only $12/unit for CA residents]

PV Forums for Local and State Government Leaders - February 1st Sacramento - Local Government Commission SPIRE program read more here

California Energy Summit - January 24, 2002 (Thursday) 5-9pm-2002 Sponsored by the Sustainable Business Institute (SBI) and De Anza College. Located at the Hinson Campus Center on De Anza's campus. Reception 5-6pm, Event 6-9pm. The recent energy crisis has brought to light the fact that businesses and consumers need to have longer term strategic plans for energy usage. In an effort to give tangible ways to manage energy plans and costs for Silicon Valley Stakeholders, we would like you to join us at the conference. Acterra's Business Environmental Network is a co-sponsor of this event. For more information, please call (408) 626-7626