GREEN SHEET :: JANUARY 2011
MEMBERSHIP OUTREACH
This month's addition to the CleanTECH San Diego membership roster includes United Kingdom Trade & Investment. The UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices worldwide. They provide companies with the tools required to be competitive on the world stage. www.ukti.gov.uk.
We also welcome Chubb Insurance. Since 1882, Chubb has provided property and casualty insurance to businesses and individuals around the world. The Chubb Corporation is a holding company for a family of property and casualty insurance companies known as the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies.
ADVOCACY
CREBs Coalition Examines Solar Financing with NREL
CleanTECH San Diego's CREBs Coalition dedicated its December meeting to examining creative approaches to financing solar PV projects. Jason Coughlin from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and an expert in CREBs and other municipal financing strategies shared his insights on successful financing strategies and hailed the San Diego region for its leadership in advancing a solar agenda. The meeting also featured information on Chula Vista's solar programs and UCSD's published CREBs RFQ. In addition, the group got an exciting report on the Santee Schools rooftop PV project—our region's first operational CREBs project. The Coalition discussed a strategy to address the CPUC's action to freeze CSI payments for all nonresidential projects, as well as Section 1603, which extends the federal cash grant exemption for solar PV projects. Our Coalition partners at Latham & Watkins, Stone & Youngberg and BB&K also shared important expertise on The CREBs Coalition looks forward to a growing relationship with Jason and NREL as municipal governments across the country become ever more creative in renewable financing solutions.
SDG&E Breaks Ground on New Energy Innovation Center
SDG&E broke ground last month on its new Energy Innovation Center (EIC) in Clairemont. When completed in the spring, this state of the art facility will showcase energy efficiency equipment and cutting edge technology. CleanTECH San Diego participated in the groundbreaking events and looks forward to working with SDG&E to highlight some of the creative technologies and applications being developed by San Diego companies. This new facility promises to serve as a resource for San Diego businesses and residents alike.
Energy Storage: UCSD to Participate in Development of 2020 Storage Vision
UCSD learned in December that the California Energy Commission approved a grant to the California Institute for Energy and Environment. Working with a team of energy storage technology and policy experts from several UC campuses including Berkeley and Los Angeles and UC San Diego. They will participate in a strategic analysis of energy storage technology in order to help develop a 2020 energy storage vision for the state, pursuant to the implementation of AB 2514. CleanTECH San Diego is invited to participate as a stakeholder in the process in order to represent the region's iHUB in solar energy storage.
California Labor Secretary Participates in CleanTECH San Diego International Showcase
On November 30, CleanTECH San Diego hosted CA Secretary of Labor Victoria Bradshaw and Undersecretary Doug Hoffner during its International CleanTECH Showcase where they participated in the U.S. launch ceremony of the Global Cleantech Cluster Association. These State officials were also given an update on the EDGE initiative, cleantechsandiego.org/edge-initiative.html from EDGE partners, including Jason Anderson of CleanTECH San Diego, Dr. Steve Mayfield of the San Diego-Center for Algae Biotechnology and Joe Panetta, CEO of BIOCOM. The EDGE Initiative was awarded a $4 million grant from the California Department of Labor in 2010 to create and implement new curricula and workforce training programs in the San Diego region's biofuels sector.
Smart Grid Working Group Hosts CPUC Commissioner
CleanTECH San Diego's Regional Smart Grid Stakeholder Working Group is convening on January 10 from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm to build on its October tour of SDG&E's mission control room. This upcoming session will feature a tour of UC San Diego's microgrid. Additionally, CPUC Commissioner Nancy Ryan will join the tour and offer remarks on the state's move toward a digitized grid and San Diego's leadership role in that transition. This meeting will address the integration of electric vehicles into our transportation schemes—all with a focus on how our innovation economy, and the convergence of clean technology, information technology and materials science is powering the region's transformation.This Working Group was established to equip a select group of regional leaders with key information about San Diego's leading role in transforming our energy grid and to provide a feedback loop for industry and regional leaders on these issues. This invitation-only Working Group of approximately 20 regional leaders will focus on San Diego's distinctive assets as well as the challenges and opportunities associated with the path forward.
CleanTECH San Diego Member Companies Present Market Opportunity
On December 13-15, CleanTECH San Diego along with the City of San Diego, San Diego Regional EDC and South County EDC hosted representatives of Soitec and Deloitte regarding German-based Concentrix Solar's potential US market expansion. This CleanTECH San Diego-led host team assisted in viewing potential sites for a solar manufacturing facility and to explore the region's labor pool. With the assistance of member company Cushman & Wakefield, the Soitec/Concentrix/Deloitte team viewed a number of potential regional sites and thanks to member company Green Talent Staffing, the group also met with HR representatives with a variety of other regional companies.
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
Greening San Diego
CleanTECH San Diego "Greening San Diego" partner cities, Santee and Lemon Grove, along with Coronado, Del Mar, El Cajon, Escondido and Oceanside are on track to complete the data collection phase of their greenhouse gas inventory baselining projects by year-end. This progress is the result of a coordinated effort between The San Diego Foundation and ICLEI, along with hands-on field support from a team of USD student interns who are receiving course credit for their work. Meanwhile, Padre Dam Municipal Water District is continuing to evaluate the innovative, consumer-friendly water conservation technology offered by CleanTECH San Diego "SCRUB" graduate WaterSmart Software with the goal of scoping out a potential pilot application in 2011.
Street Lighting Working Group
The City of San Diego publicly advertised its Request for Proposal for Street Light Conversion Project Design-Build Contract which will cover the city's retrofit of its nearly 40,000 cobra-style street lights in two phases. A mandatory pre-bid Meeting was held in late December and final proposals are due January 6, 2011. The City of San Diego now joins Carlsbad, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, and Santee among the cities of San Diego County that have gone to contract, or are already in the implementation stage of a total of over 53,000 regional street light retrofits just in the last year. The combined impact of these street lighting retrofits will reduce lighting energy consumption by 22 million kWh per year. This equates to a reduction of 9,500 tons of CO2 emissions while in the process generating $21 million in combined local product and installation revenues.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
JANUARY EVENTS
Clean Enterprise Program: Smart Grid Stakeholder Working Group
Jan 10, 2011
Location: UCSD, Faculty Club RSVP:shainab@cleantechsandiego.org
CleanTECH San Diego Executive Committee Meeting
Jan 11, 2011
Location: 9191 Towne Center Dr., Ste 410
RSVP: hollyl@cleantechsandiego.org
CleanTECH San Diego Advocacy Committee Meeting
Jan 17, 2011
11:30 - 3:00pm
Location: 9191 Towne Center Dr., Ste 410
RSVP: jasona@cleantechsandiego.org
G'Day USA - Clean Tech: Partnerships and Commercialization
Jan 18, 2011
Location: Scripps Forum, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
RSVP: barbara.adams@austrade.gov.au
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