SOLAR NEWS

California to fall short of 100 hydrogen fueling stations by 2020 As electric charging stations continue to sprout across the country, hydrogen fueling stations haven't experienced the same rapid growth. That's an issue in California, where Assembly Bill 8 stipulates a goal of 100 functioning public hydrogen stations by 2020. The latest forecast predicts the state will come up short.

California is closing in on its 2020 renewable energy mandate The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently released a report which shows that the state has made remarkable progress towards reaching its renewable portfolio standard (RPS) targets. CEC estimates that as of November, California utilities were getting 30% of their electricity from renewables, which puts it within striking distance of the 33% by 2020 target, and more than halfway towards its 50% by 2030 mandate.

Marin County goes 100% green energy Government entities in the North Bay are leading the state with 100 percent renewable electric power. In October, Marin County was the first in the state to enroll all of its county and city accounts in Marin Clean Energy’s 100 percent renewable electricity program, the company said. Marin Clean Energy supplies customers with 50 percent to 100 percent renewable energy as an alternative to PG&E. Called Deep Green, the program now supplies non-polluting wind and solar power for public buildings, streetlights and other civic accounts in the county.

Will consumer choice in electricity get a major delay in California? The California Public Utilities Commission giveth, but the same benighted agency much more often taketh away. At least from consumers. In December, this five-member commission for the first time in many years stood up for utility customers by refusing to let the San Diego Gas & Electric Co. dun its customers for the costs of negligence in the leadup to massively destructive fires in 2007. At almost the same time, though, commissioners scheduled a vote that could allow the state’s three big privately-owned utilities to continue their regional monopolies almost unabated for at least another year.

California’s Carbon Cap is Not in Jeopardy, Because It’s Not Really a Cap One of the most prominent and most controversial elements of California’s climate policy is a program commonly called “cap and trade.” But that name has never been entirely accurate, and it became less so with the legislation adopted last summer to extend the program to 2030. Now, a debate surrounding implementation of the new law is making it clear that confusion persists about how the program actually works.New York sets bigger energy storage target than California “A comprehensive agenda to combat climate change” unveiled on Tuesday by New York governor Andrew Cuomo, includes the setting of a state-wide energy storage deployment target of 1,500MW by 2025. In addition to the introduction of the target, Cuomo unveiled plans to reduce emissions from natural gas peaker plants, solicit proposals for “at least 800MW” of offshore wind energy projects over two years, establish energy efficiency targets, reconvene a scientific advisory panel on climate change with authorities from other states and create a community solar PV programme aimed at 10,000 low-income households in the state.

As Clean Energy Home Loan Program Spreads, California Tries to Address Problems A decade after California became ground zero for what is now one of the country’s fastest-growing home loan programs, the state has passed unprecedented regulations to protect borrowers from deceptive financial practices. The program, property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing, offers loans to help residential or commercial property owners pay for energy-efficient upgrades, such as solar panels, LED lighting and window insulation. The residential loans are typically around $25,000, and the terms are for up to 20 years. 

California School District Opens New CNG Station  The Fullerton Joint Union High School District (FJUHSD) in California recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the district’s new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility. The ceremony was held at the District Transportation Center located at 1021 S. Leslie St., La Habra. Currently, 19 district buses run on CNG and are fueled at the FJUHSD bus yard through time-fill and fast-fill dispensers. The majority of the buses were acquired through the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) incentive program under which clean-burning CNG buses are offered as replacements for older buses.

Greenbacker Renewable Energy acquires California wind farm Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company says it has, through a wholly owned subsidiary, purchased Wagner Wind from BayWa r.e. Wagner Wind is a 6-MW wind farm located in Palm Springs, California that sells power to the City of Riverside, CA. Wagner Wind has a 20-year power purchase agreement, with approximately 15 years remaining as of the acquisition date. BayWa r.e. developed and constructed the facility which it placed in service in Q4 2012 and has operated continuously since that time.