The California Solar Initiative Solar Thermal Program launched January 20th, 2010,

The climate-change fighting, energy efficiency California Statewide solar water heating rebate program, called "CSI-Thermal" seeks to place @200,000 solar water heaters in California in its single family and multi-family program that runs through 2017.

Applications will be accepted April 1, 2010.

The CSI - Thermal program is being developed and is expected to run from April 2010 through 2017. A 30 percent federal tax credit is also available on the installed cost of the system less the rebate.

The goals of the CSI Thermal Program are to:

· Significantly increase the size of the solar water heating market in California by increasing the adoption rate of solar water heating technologies, including achieving:

o Installation of natural gas-displacing systems that displace 585 million therms, equivalent to placing a solar water heater on 200,000 single-family homes;

o Installation of electric-displacing solar water heating systems that displace 275.7 million kilowatt-hours per year of electricity by the end of 2017; and

o Expansion of the market for other solar thermal technologies that displace natural gas and electricity use, in addition to solar water heating.

· Support reductions in the cost of solar water heating systems of at least 16 percent through a program that increases market size and encourages cost reductions through market efficiency and innovation.

· Engage in market facilitation activities to reduce market barriers to solar water heating adoption, such as high permitting costs, lack of access to information, and lack of trained installers.

Eligible Customers for the CSI-Thermal Incentive Program

Eligible customers are gas or electric water heating customers of SDG&E, PG&E and SoCalGas & SoCal Edison. The program will run for 8 years, until December 31, 2017, or until the program funds are exhausted, whichever occurs first.

This rebate program is a four-step declining incentive structure over the life of the program and the rebate is calculated based on the expected energy savings of your solar water heating system. Incentive amounts depend upon your current water heating fuel source (natural gas or electricity).

Residents who heat their water with natural gas may receive a maximum incentive of $1,875.

Residents who heat their water with electricity may receive a maximum incentive of $1,250.

Commercial or multifamily buildings who heat their water with natural gas may receive a maximum incentive of $200,000, while commercial or multifamily buildings who heat their water with electricity may receive a maximum incentive of $100,000.

Eligible SWH Equipment for the CSI-Thermal Program

Solar water heating ( SWH) equipment must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation ( SRCC). SRCC OG-300 certified equipment must be installed on single-family homes and SRCC OG-100 certified collectors must be installed on multifamily and commercial buildings. At the start of the program, only solar water heating technology will be eligible for the rebate. Other Solar Thermal technologies such as space heating, radiant floor heating, space cooling, etc will not be eligible. We expect that those technologies may be introduced into the rebate program at a later date.

Administration: PG&E, SoCalGas, Edison and California Center for Sustainable Energy

The CSI Thermal Program will be administered by PG&E, Edison, SoCalGas, and by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) in the SDG&E territory.

PG&E and SDG&E, in coordination CCSE, will disburse incentives to both electric and natural gas ratepayers who install eligible solar water heating systems in their territories.

Edison will disburse incentives through the CSI Thermal Program to customers who install electric displacing solar water heating systems. SoCalGas will disburse incentives to customers in its territory who install natural gas displacing solar water heating systems.

Incentives are as follows:

Natural Gas Displacing Incentives:

Step	Incentive for Average Residential Solar Water Heating System	Incentive per Therm Displaced
1	$1,500	$12.82
2	$1,200	$10.26
3	$900	$7.69
4	$550	$4.70

· Incentives are paid up-front based on estimated first year therms displaced.

· Incentives decline in four steps based on program participation.

· Forty percent of the incentive budget is reserved for single-family residential systems; 60 percent for commercial and multifamily systems.

Electric Displacing Incentives:

Step Level	Electric Displacing Incentive ($/kWh)	Incentive for Average Residential System
1	0.37	$1,010
2	0.30	$820
3	0.22	$600
4	0.14	$380

· Incentives paid up-front based on estimated first year kWh displacement.

Contactor Participation Requirements

The requirements for contractor participation are currently being developed. We expect that contractors will need to attend a training workshop to learn about the application process, program guidelines and SWH installation techniques. We may also ask for verification of liability insurance, workman's compensation and auto insurance coverage. This requirement will be determined by March 1, 2010.

Contractors Submit Paperwork

Contractors will be responsible for submitting the rebate applications. The Program Administrators (PG&E, SoCal Edison, SoCalGas and the California Center for Sustainable Energy) are currently developing the application process and creating an appropriate online application database.

Installation Team Training

Some great technical resources posted in our "Contractors Corner." We recommend you become very familiar with the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation installation guidelines (www.solar-rating.org). It is also strongly encouraged for you to seek training from SWH equipment manufacturers.

The California Public Utilities Commission

CPUC will be holding public workshops in the first quarter of 2010 to discuss the following: system sizing requirements, development of an online incentive calculation tool that estimates energy savings, development of energy-efficiency requirements and metering requirements. Your input is welcome and encouraged! Refer to the CPUC website for postings on workshop details.

CSI Program Calendar

Do I have to wait until April 1, 2010, to sell and install SWH systems in order to receive the incentive? No. The CSI-Thermal Program will provide a rebate to projects that meet the program requirements and were installed after July 15, 2009. You will have to wait until April 1, 2010, to apply for the rebate for single-family projects and May 1, 2010, for multifamily and commercial projects.

San Diego Solar Water Heating Pilot Program

As part of the California Solar Initiative, the Solar Water Heating Pilot Program (SWHPP) provides incentives to business and customers who install qualifying solar water heating systems. The California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) is administering the program.  CCSE is authorized to provide $1.5 million in rate payer funds as incentives for the Solar Water Heating Pilot Program. These incentives will go to qualified, licensed contractors to promote the installation of clean, renewable solar water heating systems.

How can I learn more about the CSI Program?

If you are a SDG&E electric customer seeking to retrofit your current water heating system, contact the California Center for Sustainable Energy for an informational packet and list of registered installers. You may contact them directly for additional details: swh@energycenter.org

Greening Existing Buildings

Greening existing buildings is the next big green building trend.

If we are ever to meet our carbon reduction goals, we have to dramatically improve the existing building stock. Jerry's new book, "Greening Existing Buildings" (McGraw-Hill, 2009) recaps how to work a project through the LEED for Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) rating system.

LEED-EBOM has been the fastest growing LEED rating system this year.

"Greening Existing Buildings" has already been named one of top 10 architecture books of 2009 in a national newsletter. You can find out why thousands of buildings are now pursuing this LEED rating by ordering this book now or by downloading free chapters.

In Greening Existing Buildings, Jerry tackles the question of the day: how to upgrade the performance of the large stock of existing buildings, to meet the latest green building standards. This authoritative book analyzes all of the LEED for Existing Buildings Platinum projects, features more than 25 interviews with leading practitioners, more than 20 specific building upgrade case studies and numerous tables, charts and illustrations. It's truly a "how to" book for greening anyone's building. The book will be available in October 2009.

Jerry Yudelson is a professional engineer with an MBA. He has trained 3,500 people in the LEED green building rating system, and has chaired Greenbuild, the world's largest green building conference, for the past five years. The founder of a green building consulting firm, he is the author of three books on green building marketing and an advisor to manufacturers, venture capital firms, design firms and developers.

Look Inside This Book:

Chapter 3: Markets for Greening Existing Buildings (PDF 300KB)

Chapter 10: LEED Certification Challenges and Approaches (PDF 27MB)

Released 2009

 
 

Spread the word:
Become a fan of EPI on Facebook.
www.facebook.com/pages/Earth-Policy-Institute/17045240901

Lester R. Brown, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009), available on-line at www.earthpolicy.org/index.php?/books/pb4

New Study Shows Freight Rail Fuel Efficiency Up More Than 20 Percent Since 1999

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)  released a study showing vast improvements in freight rail fuel efficiency over the last two decades, approximately 22 percent between 1990 and 2006. 

Trends in rail and truck fuel efficiency include:

Locomotive: Improvements include locomotive technology improvements, fleet composition, non-locomotive technology improvements, operational and train control improvements, as well as impediments to the implementation of fuel-saving actions.

Trucks: Improvements include truck engine improvements and the effects of emission regulations, non-engine technology improvements and changes in fleet composition, operational improvements, and impediments to the implementation of fuel-saving actions.

"While all types of transportation are vital to the distribution of goods across the country, this study shows that utilizing America's freight rail system can lead to significant fuel savings," said FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo.  "The environmental benefits of these positive changes over the last two decades are enormous.  We look forward to working with the freight rail industry to make sure these gains continue."

Several factors point to the reasons for rail's fuel efficiency, including the improvement in diesel-electric locomotives, the increased use of double stack trains, track and signal improvements, and longer trains. 

Finding 1: Rail is more fuel efficient than truck on all 23 movements.

For all movements, rail fuel efficiency is higher than truck fuel efficiency in terms of ton-miles per gallon. The ratio between rail and truck fuel efficiency indicates how much more fuel efficient rail is in comparison to trucks. As illustrated in Exhibit 1-1, rail fuel efficiency varies from 156 to 512 ton-miles per gallon, truck fuel efficiency ranges from 68 to 133 ton-miles per gallon, and rail-truck fuel efficiency ratios range from 1.9 to 5.5.

Finding 2: Double-stack trains and dry van trailers are the predominant equipment types in this study.
Double-stack trains account for 11 out of 23 rail movements, while dry van trailers are the equipment of choice for 12 truck movements. Double-stack service has become more predominant in the past two decades due to their fast and reliable transit times, while 53-foot dry vans provide large capacity while utilizing tractor aerodynamic aids that reduce fuel consumption.

Finding 3: There is a strong correlation between rail-truck fuel efficiency ratio and equipment type.
The tank car movement resulted in the highest ratio, followed by double-stack, covered hopper, and gondola movements. Auto rack movements resulted in the lowest ratios. The wide variation in rail-truck fuel efficiency ratios in double-stack movements is a result of the higher number of double-stack movements considered in this study.

Finding 4: The range of rail fuel efficiency is wider than the range of truck fuel efficiency.

Rail fuel efficiency has a much wider range, varying from 156 to 512 ton-miles/gallon, while truck fuel efficiency ranges from 68 to 133 ton-miles/gallon.

Finding 5: The variation in rail fuel efficiency is narrower if analyzed in terms of trailing ton-miles per gallon.
Rail fuel efficiency can be measured at the train level in trailing ton-miles per gallon. Double-stack trains tend to be more fuel efficient than other types of trains, despite their higher average speeds and poorer aerodynamic performance. The fact that intermodal operations do not require subsequent switching operations to classify rail cars contributes to the better performance of double-stack trains. The wide variation in fuel efficiency of double-stack and mixed trains as opposed to auto and TOFC trains is justified by the smaller number of movements analyzed in the latter trains.

Finding 6: Route circuity plays a role in the total fuel consumption and fuel efficiency associated with rail and truck movements.
Typically, distances by rail are greater than those over the road, but truck distance was longer in some movements due to the fact that truck routing minimized travel time rather than travel distance. In this study, truck routes are shorter in 17 out of 23 movements. Because the comparisons of rail and truck fuel efficiency reflect ton-miles per gallon, circuity is not taken into account, and consequently the fuel savings from using rail versus truck are not proportional to the ratio between rail and truck fuel efficiency. Rail resulted in fuel savings for all remaining movements, ranging from 18 to 1,108 gallons per carload.

Finding 7: Short branchline movements, switching operations, truck drayage, terminal operations and truck idling have very different impacts depending on the movement analyzed.
While truck idling accounts for less than 7% of total truck fuel consumption, short branchline movements, switching operations, truck drayage, and terminal operations represent a more sizeable share of total rail fuel consumption. Truck drayage and intermodal terminal operations account for 7-27% of total fuel consumed by intermodal trains, with the wide range justified by the fact that the analysis assumed a fixed distance for all drayage movements independently of the route distance. Therefore, the fuel share allocated to truck drayage was higher for shorter routes and lower for longer routes. Similar conclusions can be drawn for short branchline movements and yard switching operations, which combined make up 6-45% of fuel consumed by mixed trains.

Finding 8: Fuel savings from using rail can be significant.
Rail results in fuel savings when compared to their counterpart truck movement, ranging from 18 to 1,108 gallons per carload. Fuel savings can also be analyzed at the train level. For example, if trucks were to carry the equivalent payload included in the double-stack rail movements, fuel savings would evidently be much greater, varying from 1,549 to over 80,000 gallons per double-stack train.

Finding 9: The effects of empty mileage associated with rail and truck movements can be significant.
This study concludes that all intermodal movements (double-stack and TOFC) and gondola movements are even more fuel efficient than comparable truck movements when accounting for empty miles. In the case of box cars and covered hopper movements, the opposite is true. In those cases, rail is still more fuel efficient than trucks, but the gap between rail and truck narrows with the inclusion of empty miles. This analysis is inconclusive for auto movements.

The complete study can be found at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/Downloads/Comparative_Evaluation_Rail_Truck_Fuel_Efficiency.pdf.

By 2030, new commercial construction

in the United States will be zero-Energy.

This can be achieved by implementing

aggressive energy efficiency measures to

reduce demand by 70 - 80% and

meeting the remaining energy requirements through renewable resources.

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) will convene the Zero-Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium in order to support the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative.

NASEO is comprised of senior officials from the energy offices of both the states and territories, in addition to affiliates from the private and public sectors, and will provide leadership for the Consortium.

The Consortium will include representatives from more than 300 organizations from the following building areas:

• The design professions, including national associations of architects and professional engineers
• The development, construction, financial, and real estate industries
• Building owners and operators from the public and private sectors
• Academic and research organizations with extensive commercial building energy expertise
• Building code agencies and organizations, including a model energy code-setting organization
• Independent high-performance green building associations or councils
• Experts in indoor air quality and environmental factors
• Experts in intelligent buildings and integrated building information systems
• Utility energy efficiency programs
• Manufacturers and providers of equipment and techniques used in high-performance green buildings
• Public transportation industry experts
• Non-governmental energy efficiency organizations.

THE GOAL: Affordable and marketable net-zero energy commercial buildings in all climate zones by 2025

In turn, the Consortium will support DOE, DOE national laboratories, and the Commercial Building Energy Alliances and Commercial Building Partners in achieving affordable and marketable net-zero energy commercial buildings in all climate zones by 2025.

The Consortium will provide access to technical expertise, communicate the emergence of new technologies to the commercial building community, and promote the demonstration of high-performance building technologies. A steering committee made up of NASEO members and lighting, window, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning suppliers will outline and drive the Consortium's goals and objectives.

More information can be found at the Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative Web site. Details about the Consortium and its membership are available at the Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium Web site.

RESOURCE:  http://zeroenergycbc.org/

By 2030, new commercial construction

in the United States will be zero-Energy.

This can be achieved by implementing

aggressive energy efficiency measures to

reduce demand by 70 - 80% and

meeting the remaining energy requirements through renewable resources.

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) will convene the Zero-Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium in order to support the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative.

NASEO is comprised of senior officials from the energy offices of both the states and territories, in addition to affiliates from the private and public sectors, and will provide leadership for the Consortium.

The Consortium will include representatives from more than 300 organizations from the following building areas:

• The design professions, including national associations of architects and professional engineers
• The development, construction, financial, and real estate industries
• Building owners and operators from the public and private sectors
• Academic and research organizations with extensive commercial building energy expertise
• Building code agencies and organizations, including a model energy code-setting organization
• Independent high-performance green building associations or councils
• Experts in indoor air quality and environmental factors
• Experts in intelligent buildings and integrated building information systems
• Utility energy efficiency programs
• Manufacturers and providers of equipment and techniques used in high-performance green buildings
• Public transportation industry experts
• Non-governmental energy efficiency organizations.

THE GOAL: Affordable and marketable net-zero energy commercial buildings in all climate zones by 2025

In turn, the Consortium will support DOE, DOE national laboratories, and the Commercial Building Energy Alliances and Commercial Building Partners in achieving affordable and marketable net-zero energy commercial buildings in all climate zones by 2025.

The Consortium will provide access to technical expertise, communicate the emergence of new technologies to the commercial building community, and promote the demonstration of high-performance building technologies. A steering committee made up of NASEO members and lighting, window, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning suppliers will outline and drive the Consortium's goals and objectives.

More information can be found at the Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative Web site. Details about the Consortium and its membership are available at the Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium Web site.

RESOURCE:  http://zeroenergycbc.org/

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)  announced a milestone in U.S.-Israel cooperation on clean energy technology.

With financial support of DOE and the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructures, the bilateral BIRD Foundation Energy Executive Committee has competitively selected four cooperative clean energy projects in the United States and Israel. This initiative will award up to $3.3 million in U.S.-Israel funding for these four projects.

The four projects selected for award help address critical shared bilateral energy-related goals, while focusing on commercializing DOE technologies. The BIRD Foundation will assist by attracting and incorporating private sector cost-sharing.

The four projects will leverage private sector cost-share for a total project value of $11.6 million:

• HelioFocus Ltd., Ness Ziona, Israel and Capstone Turbine Corporation, Chatsworth, California have been selected for an award of up to $800,000. HelioFocus and Capstone Turbine Corporation will develop and commercialize a micro-turbine to produce electric power from concentrated solar energy. This project includes $2.1 million in private sector cost-share.
• Motorola Israel Ltd., Tel Aviv, Israel and SmartSynch, Inc., Jackson, Mississippi have been selected for an award of up to $900,000. Motorola Israel and SmartSynch will collaborate in the development and commercialization of a platform to enable implementation of a Smart Grid energy management system. This project will integrate Home Area Network and Smart Grid network management software applications to give utilities greater control while allowing end-users the ability to monitor and control consumption. This project includes $2.8 million in private sector cost-share.
• Tigo Energy, Kfar Saba, Israel and U.S. Architectural Glass and Aluminum Co., Inc., Alameda, California have been selected for an award of up to $900,000. This project will support the development and integration of a complete Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system. The partnership will seek to overcome the cost, standardization, generation performance, visibility, and safety challenges that currently hinder large scale adoption of BIPV. This project includes $2.3 million in private sector cost-share.
• TransBiodiesel Ltd., Shfar-Am, Israel and The Purolite Company, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania have been selected for an award of up to $700,000. This project seeks to design a biocatalyst comprised of methanol-resistant lipase immobilized on a cost-effective resin for the production of biodiesel at commercial scales. Lipase biocatalysts offer significant advantages over traditional catalysts used for biodiesel production including lifecycle efficiency gains and consistent product quality, but are currently high-cost and suffer from short operation life-time as they are degraded during the biodiesel production process. This project includes $1.2 million in private sector cost-share.

The projects are expected to begin in 2010.

BIRD Foundation (www.birdf.com)

The BIRD (Binational Industrial Research and Development) Foundation works to encourage cooperation between Israeli and American companies in the various areas of technology, and provides assistance in locating strategic partners from both countries for developing joint products.

During its 32 years, the BIRD Foundation has invested in more than 800 projects, which have yielded direct and indirect revenues of about $8 billion.

The BIRD Foundation supports projects without receiving any rights in the participating companies or in the project itself. The financial assistance is repaid as royalties from sales. The Foundation provides support of up to 50% of a project's budget, beginning with R&D and ending with the initial stages of sales and marketing. The Foundation shares the risk and does not demand that the investment be repaid if the project fails to reach the sales stage.

Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing

Clemson University will receive up to $45 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for a wind energy test facility that will enhance the performance, durability, and reliability of utility-scale wind turbines.

This investment will support jobs and strengthen American leadership in wind energy technology by supporting the testing of next-generation wind turbine designs.

Clean Energy Industrial Revolution

"Wind power holds tremendous potential to help create new jobs and reduce carbon pollution," said Secretary Chu. "We are at the beginning of a new Industrial Revolution when it comes to clean energy and projects like these will help us get there faster."

Clemson Based Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility

The Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing facility will enable the United States, which leads the world in wind energy capacity, to expand development and testing of large-scale wind turbine drive-train systems domestically.

Wind turbine sizes have increased with each new generation of turbines, and have outgrown the capacity of existing U.S. drivetrain testing facilities.

The new testing capability will ultimately improve U.S. competitiveness in wind energy technology, will lower energy costs for consumers, and will maintain rapid growth in the deployment of wind energy systems.

The new facility will be located at the Charleston Naval Complex, a former Navy base in North Charleston, South Carolina, and will be a part of the Clemson University Restoration Institute campus.

The test facility will operate as a non-profit organization with a business model designed for sustainability while providing ongoing state-of-the-art testing to wind turbine manufacturers.

The Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing facility will feature power analysis equipment capable of performing highly accelerated life testing of land-based and offshore wind turbine drive systems rated at 5-15 megawatts (MW). These dynamometer tests of drivetrains are required to demonstrate compliance with wind turbine design standards, reduce wind turbine costs, secure product financing, and reduce the technical and financial risk of deploying mass-produced wind turbine models.

Learn more about DOE's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program.

Oct 29, 2009 -- U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced up to $338 million in Recovery Act funding for the exploration and development of new geothermal fields and research into advanced geothermal technologies.

These geothermal R&D grants will support 123 projects in 39 states, with recipients including private industry, academic institutions, tribal entities, local governments, and DOE's National Laboratories. The grants will be matched more than one-for-one with an additional $353 million in private and non-Federal cost-share funds.

Domestic Geothermal Renewable Energy Source

"The United States is blessed with vast geothermal energy resources, which hold enormous potential to heat our homes and power our economy," said Secretary Chu. "These investments in America's technological innovation will allow us to capture more of this clean, carbon free energy at a lower cost than ever before. We will create thousands of jobs, boost our economy and help to jumpstart the geothermal industry across the United States."

These grants are directed towards identifying and developing new geothermal fields and reducing the upfront risk associated with geothermal development through innovative exploration and drilling projects and data development and collection. In addition, the grants will support the deployment and creative financing approaches for ground source heat pump demonstration projects across the country.

Green Jobs in Commercial Scale Geothermal

Collectively, these projects will represent a dramatic expansion of the U.S. geothermal industry and will create or save thousands of jobs in drilling, exploration, construction, and operation of geothermal power facilities and manufacturing of ground source heat pump equipment.

The projects selected for negotiation of awards fall in six categories:

• Innovative Exploration and Drilling Projects (up to $98.1 million): Twenty-four projects have been selected focusing on the development of new geothermal fields using innovative sensing, exploration, and well-drilling technologies.

• Coproduced, Geopressured, and Low Temperature Projects (up to $20.7 million): Eleven projects have been selected for the development of new low-temperature geothermal fields, a vast but currently untapped set of geothermal resources. This includes geothermal heat found in the hundreds of thousands of oil and gas wells around the U.S., where up to ten barrels of hot water are produced for every barrel of oil.

• Enhanced Geothermal Systems Demonstrations (up to $51.4 million): Three projects have been selected for the exploration, drilling and development of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) to validate power production from deep hot rock resources using innovative technologies and approaches.

• Enhanced Geothermal Systems Components Research and Development / Analysis (up to $81.5 million): Forty-five projects have been selected to focus on research and development of new technologies to find and drill into deep hot rock formations, stimulate enhanced geothermal reservoirs, and convert the heat to power.

• Geothermal Data Development, Collection and Maintenance (up to $24.6 million): Three projects have been selected for the population of a comprehensive nationwide geothermal resource database to help identify and assess new fields.

• Ground Source Heat Pump Demonstrations (up to $61.9 million): Thirty-seven projects have been selected to demonstrate the deployment of ground source heat pumps for heating and cooling of a variety of buildings for a variety of customer types, including academic institutions, local governments and commercial buildings.

  SOURCE: US Department of Energy