Category Archives: Policy

L.A. Natural Gas Leak Leading to Power Blackouts?

Screen Shot 2016-07-02 at 10.19.50 PMAs early as April of this year, speculation was being widely reported that Los Angeles may suffer numerous blackouts because 17 local natural gas power plants are having a difficult time sourcing sufficient fuel for generating electricity.

Normally, a significant percentage of their natural gas is stored at the Aliso Canyon facility. When the facility sprang its massive,  four months-long leak polluting the air in the north portion of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County it also depleted the storage tanks that were stockpiling fuel for the peak energy usage months of July through October. They now contain only 20% of what is normal for this time of year!

“How do we make sure we are building the most sustainable city possible?” – Nancy Sutley (LADWP)

As a result, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is scrambling on two fronts to lessen the impact on their ratepayers. First, they are trying to arrange new sources of fuel from neighboring regions. Second, they are appealing to their commercial and residential customers to voluntarily reduce their consumption of power.

Last Thursday (6/30/16) the LADWP hosted a roundtable discussion of their options at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) at their new La Kretz Innovation Center in downtown Los Angeles. LADWP and Southern California Gas each have aggressive incentive campaigns to encourage ratepayers to conserve electricity. In addition, David Hodgins of the Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge helped address the key question of the discussion posed by Nancy Sutley (LADWP’s Chief Sustainability and Economic Development Officer) – “How do we make sure we are building the most sustainable city possible?”

This crisis is a wake-up call – a wound that must not be allowed to go untreated or to infect other utility assets. It makes it clear that more preventative solutions must be adopted so we are better prepared for future droughts, heat waves, and infrastructure disasters.

The Mayor’s office has already put into place policies (through his Sustainability pLAn and special office) that help guide Los Angeles to develop a sustainable energy system. Installing innovative energy efficiency technologies in commercial and residential structures must continue to be developed to mitigate the demand growth of the region. At the same time a planned approach must feature: consumption monitoring systems, more incentives for better LEED Certified investments, solar installations and storage expansion, and flexible infrastructure encouraging the new decentralized power generation and storage.

 

 

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LACI Host “LaunchPad” Welcoming 25 Israeli GreenTechs

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Gov. Brown & PM Netanyahu’s MOU on Israel-CA Cleantech Collaboration in Action

Two exciting collaborations are taking place starting today in Los Angeles – efforts to combat the drought and fight climate change through Israeli-California collaboration – which will build off the landmark MOU signed between Governor Jerry Brown of California and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

A delegation of field-proven Israeli companies will engage in the first-ever Israel California Water (ICWater) Conference. The list of attendees includes an impressive collection of key stakeholders, policy makers, city officials, corporate leaders, and investors.

Immediately following the conference, a select group of pioneering Israeli energy and water technologies will participate in “LaunchPad” at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), an intensive “bootcamp” program designed to help prepare the companies to launch into the California market. LACI will also be hosting a high-level event, where the companies will have the opportunity to pitch their ventures to the LACI Leadership Council.

For background on the Israel-CA Green-Tech Partnership and to sign-up for their blog.

READ MORE

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USGBC-LA Hosts GREEN21 Resources

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Between 2014-2016, California’s 25th District Senator Carol Liu sponsored the creation of the GREEN21 information portal. These resource pages have been created to help users from her district (parts of Ventura County and northern Los Angeles County) find information that will lead them to more green, sustainable choices for the 21st Century.

At the culmination of her term of office, Senator Liu decided that it would be a shame to lose these resources with the termination of her own website. USGBC/Los Angeles Chapter Executive Director, Dominique Hargreaves offered to host GREEN21 on the chapter’s website, which is where they now reside. The resources have been reformatted and posted by iPLUG Media to the USGBC site.

The contents of GREEN21 now reside under the About Us menu item, because of USGBC website menu formatting considerations. When GreenBuild 2016 completes, the menu item for GreenBuild will be replaced by Resources with a drop down menu for the following markets:

Additional information more central to the Los Angeles Chapter are being added – for instance, information about the Mayor’s pLAn and the Los Angeles Better Building Challenge (LABBC). Recommendations for new public information and links are requested so that they can be considered for inclusion on the site.

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Energy Efficiency Keeps Electricity Affordable

Fingering Coins

 

In a story written by Steven Nadel, Executive Director, ACEEE announced two studies that show energy efficiency not only keeps electricity affordable but it reduces environmental compliances costs. On March 18th, they released:

  • “How Much Does Energy Efficiency Cost?” includes results from studies by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, ACEEE, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Finds that energy efficiency is consistently a lowest cost option for meeting electric demand. One of the studies finds that the costs of energy efficiency have been level in recent years.
  • Energy Efficiency Lowers the Cost of Clean Power Plan Compliance looks at the results of three studies, all finding that including energy efficiency as part of state compliance plans will lower costs to utility customers. One study finds that an energy efficiency scenario reduced electric bills by 17%. Another study shows that in most states using energy efficiency for compliance with the CPP will reduce bills by more than $10 per month.

READ MORE…

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What Can the Next U.S. President Do for Energy Efficiency?

Where do the candidates stand on energy independence and efficiency and what is there vision for both? What role and policies can the executive branch assume to support RE & EE initiatives?
Where do the candidates stand on energy independence and efficiency and what is there vision for both? What role and policies can the executive branch assume to support RE & EE initiatives?

David Caughran of ASE.org wrote on their blog a brief assessment of the three things the next U.S. President can do to advance energy efficiency. He came up with three broad ideas:

  • Find Common Ground – Rally bipartisan support for energy efficiency
  • Modernize the Grid – Invest in the nation’s infrastructure by modernizing our aging electric power grid.
  • Lead Energy Efficiency Around the Globe – Position the U.S. as the global leader in energy efficiency.

READ MORE…

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LABBC – L.A.‘s Drop 100 Campaign

Drop100Campaign

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti poses with signage for his “Save the Drop” campaign after talking about the program to connect Angelenos with water conservation tools in Van Nuys on April 9. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

How much water consumption will commercial building managers be able to drop to help the Mayor’s office meet its commitment to reduce water demand in Southern California by 100 Million gallons per year?

Building on the City’s successful residential Save The Drop initiative, the LABBC is proud to partner with the Mayor’s Office to launch the Drop100 Campaign, an expansion of the Save The Drop initiative to include large commercial buildings. LABBC hosted the following panel to provide an update on current program rebates and cautions.

Moderator:
David Hodgins — Executive Director, Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge

Panelists:
Maureen Erbeznik — Technical Advisor: Water, Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge

Jay Chase — Vice President / Operations, Muir-Chase Plumbing Co, Inc.

Edward Brady — Program Manager, Water Efficiency, Healthy Buildings 

Technological advances and pending code changes are opening up new opportunities to save and re-use water; and with the ongoing drought, it’s more important than ever to manage water responsibly.

In exchange for making commitments to “Drop” their water consumption, the LABBC will offer tools, resources, and expert technical support to help Drop 100 partners achieve their goals and be recognized for their accomplishments.

Future use of grey water will grow but sanitation must maintain a high standard before mass implementation of  the Mayor’s Gray Water Campaign. Pilot tests are advisable before wholesale changeout.

Residential turf removal rebates from the Department of Water and Power have ended. This is a harbinger of other rebates that may rescind before 2020 so taking advantage of existing rebates is more important than ever.

Send an email to sign up for the Drop 100 project to info@la-bbc.com. It will officially launch in November, 2015.

For more information on the LABBC – CLICK HERE to view their brochure.

READ MORE…

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pLAn – Transforming Los Angeles: Environment | Economy | Equity

Local Government sustainability_bannerMayor Eric Garcetti – 4/8/2015: Our city is flourishing. We expect at least 500,000 more people to call Los Angeles home by 2035. So the question before us, like it was to those Angelenos of the past, is how can we improve our city today, and ensure future generations enjoy a place that is environmentally healthy, economically prosperous, and equitable in opportunity for all?

Soon after taking office as Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti defined the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and appointed the city’s first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), Matt Petersen. This is not simply an “environment department” with a separate box on the organization chart – rather the office oversees the implementation of sustainability throughout the city’s 35 departments and bureaus.

“This pLAn sets the course for a cleaner environment and a stronger economy, with a commitment to equity as its foundation. These are the keys to a city that Angelenos have said they want our children to inherit — one that can continue to thrive and provide good health andopportunity for its residents. This is the way I view sustainability.” – Mayor Eric Garcetti

Within the framework of three sections – Environment, Economy, and Equity – there are 14 topic chapters. Each chapter includes a preceding Introduction, Vision, and Long-Term Outcomes summary. Then the pLAn provides details on Baseline/Source, Near-term Outcomes, Strategies, and Priority Initiatives.

The full plan can be downloaded from the L.A. Mayor’s website at plan.lamayor.org.

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PACE Now: Lender Support Study

TreePeopleCenterPACENow is pleased to release the Lender Support Study, which surveyed national, regional and local mortgage lenders whose interests in buildings could be affected by PACE financings. PACE programs in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco retained PACENow to develop and implement the survey, with grant support provided by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.

There is apprehension that lenders will be hesitant to support permitting PACE financing to current mortgages.

The Lender Support Study’s goals included gauging lenders’ awareness and understanding of PACE, educating them, addressing their concerns, and developing insights that will enhance efforts to gain their support for individual PACE projects. Click here to download the study that summarizes the findings of interviews conducted with 35 individuals representing 25 different lending institutions.

Key findings and recommendations:

  1. Surveyed lenders generally expressed no blanket opposition to PACE. Their right to consent to projects is of paramount importance to them, but they appear open to approving projects that benefit their customers and improve the value of their collateral. Lender partnership and education from the start is the key in improving probability of lender consent.

  2. Lenders support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in concept, but have little firsthand experience financing them and are wary of underwriting the resulting projected savings and benefits. Education based on standard industry data and results from comparable projects is necessary to increase ease of approvals and create streamlined the processes.

  3. Lenders understand property taxes and assessments and factor them into underwriting models decisions. There was broad acceptance of PACE as an assessment, which limits lien exposure only to unpaid assessments, distinguishing it from a loan.

  4. Complexity in applications contributes to increased costs and may make some projects economically unfeasible. The size and scope of a PACE assessment should determine the degree of supporting documentation. A simple, streamlined approval process for small projects (representing less than 3% of building value) should be developed with the lender community.

  5. Consistency of programs across states and the nation, standardization of data sources, and creation of project related insurance policies will improve the consent process as lenders (and PACE finance providers/investors) can create national approval platforms and review projects with fewer resources.

  6. Existing commercial mortgage lenders have only an indirect revenue benefit from providing consent. As such, applicants have the onus of making the approval process easier for lenders until revenue streams across banks are properly aligned or existing mortgage lenders begin to provide PACE financing.

DOWNLOAD THE STUDY…

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Overcoming Market Barriers to Advance Energy Efficiency

EEMarketBarriersU.S. energy use is approximately half of what it would have been if we had not improved our efficiency over the past 40 years. Still, there are large, cost-effective opportunities to increase energy efficiency much further, thereby helping us to cut energy bills, reduce pollution, and encourage economic growth.

While there is disagreement among politicians about the role of government spending and government regulations to spur cost-effective energy efficiency investments, politicians of all political stripes agree that knocking down market barriers that keep Americans from saving money is a worthy task.

Within this context, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released a new report on Monday highlighting 16 policies that would use market forces to spur additional cost-effective investments in energy efficiency while helping to surmount market barriers that hinder these investments. In total, these policies could save consumers and businesses nearly $1 trillion over the 2014-2030 period, considering both the energy bill savings and the cost of the energy efficiency investments.

The new ACEEE report, Overcoming Market Barriers and Using Market Forces to Advance Energy Efficiencydiscusses several targeted policies that leverage market mechanisms in order to address specific market failures, without requiring substantial spending or government mandates. For example, the development of a comprehensive building labeling and benchmarking program would allow purchasers and tenants to identify efficient homes and commercial buildings and could save consumers and businesses approximately $60 billion between 2014 and 2030. Even more impressive are the benefits gained from adjusting corporate tax legislation to remove hidden barriers in the tax code. These adjustments would encourage the replacement of inefficient equipment and remove regulatory barriers to combined heat and power projects. These two policies alone could save the economy close to $300 billion.

Recommendations fall into 7 categories:

  1. Improving information to aid decision making

  2. Removing exiting regulator and legal barriers

  3. Addressing externalities

  4. Increasing the salience of energy use at point of purchase

  5. Reducing energy waste in government

  6. Investing in precommercial R&D

  7. Enhancing energy efficiency finance

READ ABOUT 16 POLICIES THAT COULD SAVE THE U.S. ECONOMY ALMOST $1 TRILLION…

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SDG&E – Measurement and Verification Guide

MeasurementGuidePerformance Tracking + 
Measurement & Verification (M&V)

Measure energy savings and track performance to find opportunities for continuous improvement.

A “how to” guide for developing robust M&V Plans, with samples for: lighting efficiency and controls upgrades; constant-load motors; variable-speed drives; and chiller replacements. Also includes guidelines on generic variable-load M&V; billing analysis using regression models; and calibrated computer simulation analysis. A must read for energy professionals.

This guide defines Statewide Customized Offering requirements for creating a measurement and verification (M&V) plan to quantify the energy savings and the peak electrical demand reduction resulting from your project’s energy efficiency measures.  Use this document as a guide in developing measure-specific M&V plans.

Calculated Savings projects do not require full measurement and verification as described in this manual.  However, short-term and spot measurements such as described in IPMVP Option A. may be required.  The M&V procedures in this section apply to the Measured Savings approach.  For a general discussion of Statewide Customized Offering options and requirements pertaining to M&V, refer to Sections 1.10 and 1.12 of the Statewide Customized Offering Procedures Manual for Business.

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