Tag Archive for: californiasolar

SB 49 authored by Senator Becker encourages solar canopies over parking lots and direct California to plan for solar power along its highway.

New California bill aims for more solar over parking lots and along highways

On March 15, Environment California submitted a letter of support signed by 64 environmental, consumer and other community groups to Senator Josh Becker declaring support for Senate Bill 49. SB 49, authored by Senator Becker and sponsored by Environment California, would encourage solar canopies over parking lots and direct California to plan for solar power along its highway rights-of-way.

The organizations applauded Senator Becker’s leadership in addressing the climate crisis with a common sense clean energy solution: encouraging more solar power and battery storage that will power communities throughout the state.

Existing developed areas like parking lots and highways should be used to their fullest extent to capture large amounts of solar energy. These groups agree that it’s time to use the state’s plentiful parking lots and highway rights-of-way to produce more clean energy now and help California reach its 100% clean energy goals.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Solar Power World

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

/0 Comments/by
The next wave of clean-tech adoption must focus on non-lithium batteries and take advantage of safe, affordable chemistries.

California’s new net-metering policy brings batteries to forefront

California’s net-energy metering (NEM) policy has been a key driver of the state’s solar deployment, incentivizing adoption by allowing utility customers to sell excess power generated from rooftop solar back to the grid for a profit. With approximately 1.5 million homes and businesses participating, policies like this have made California a clean energy leader in the United States, and even the world. However, the California Public Utilities Commission recently changed the solar-friendly policy.

The approved new framework (known as NEM 3.0) is expected to slash the rate paid for solar energy sold back to the grid by 75%. This revision significantly lengthens the five- to seven-year average payoff period for installing solar and puts the growth of solar power at risk. Californians must embrace an additional clean energy technology in order to shorten payoff periods and continue the momentum behind solar: batteries.

Click here to read the full article
Source: PV Magazine

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

/0 Comments/by
California’s new solar policy leaves low-income families behind. Community energy providers, nonprofits and vendors have come up with some creative workarounds.
,

These California programs steer solar+batteries to low-income households

Rooftop solar and home batteries are already too expensive for most low-income California residents. Last week’s decision by the California Public Utilities Commission to radically alter the state’s net-metering policy will put them even further out of reach.

Last week Canary Media explained how California’s new rooftop-solar policy will dramatically reduce the moneymaking potential of stand-alone rooftop solar and incentivize customers to install batteries that can store and shift their output to the grid when it’s most needed. We also explored how solar and battery vendors, utilities, community energy providers and state agencies are looking for ways to expand access to these technologies for low-income and disadvantaged communities.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Canary Media

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

/0 Comments/by
Solar development can provide work opportunities in San Joaquin Valley while keeping fallowed land productive & curbing environmental risks.

How California can expand solar development and support San Joaquin Valley farmers

California’s largest farming region faces a daunting challenge.

As farmers reduce their groundwater use under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, the footprint of irrigated agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley will have to shrink. The Public Policy Institute of California estimates that at least 500,000 acres of farmland will likely need to come out of production over the next two decades.

Fallowing land can lead to a host of problems, including employment losses for the valley’s agricultural workers and revenue losses for landowners and local governments. It could also exacerbate issues with airborne dust in a region already suffering from some of the worst air quality in the nation. And pests and weeds could cause a nuisance for lands still in production.

Click here to read the full article
Source: The Sentinel

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

/0 Comments/by