Solar Energy

Overview April 24, 2014

Solar Energy

Aquafornia news June 4, 2014 Los Angeles Times

Editorial: Now, About that Solar Farm Next Door

From the Los Angeles Times:

“Last year, when the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power kicked off a new program to buy electricity from local solar installations, city leaders along with environmentalists and business groups said it would be the nation’s largest urban rooftop solar program and would allow hundreds of building owners to create sun-fueled power plants on their roofs or over parking lots.”

Aquafornia news June 3, 2014 San Jose Mercury News

Historic EPA Global Warming Rules: How Will They Affect California?

From the San Jose Mercury News:

“The Obama administration’s announcement Monday of sweeping new rules aimed at curbing global warming emissions from power plants could boost profits at Silicon Valley companies that make solar panels, energy efficiency software and other clean technology.”

Aquafornia news April 16, 2014 Los Angeles Times

Owens Valley Mobilizes Against Proposed Los Angeles DWP Solar Project

From the Los Angeles Times:

“One by one, a parade of Owens Valley residents rose at a public hearing Tuesday to assail the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s plan to meet its renewable energy goals by covering 2 square miles of high desert with 1 million solar panels.”

Read more from the LA Times

Aquafornia news March 24, 2014 Stockton Record

Delta Solar Farm Plan ‘Dead’

From the Stockton Record:

“The sun has gone down on a farmer’s plans to build solar panels on what he describes as salty, unproductive land on Roberts Island.

“The death of Michael J. Robinson’s would-be solar farm shows how increasingly difficult it can be to complete a non-agricultural project within the highly regulated inner core of the Delta.”

Solar Desalination Plant Shows Promise

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Quietly whirring away in a dusty field in the Central Valley is a shiny solar energy machine that may someday solve many of California’s water problems.

“It’s called the WaterFX solar thermal desalination plant, and it has been turning salty, contaminated irrigation runoff into ultra-pure liquid for nearly a year for the Panoche Water and Drainage District.”

Aquafornia news February 12, 2014 San Jose Mercury News

Drought Threatens California’s Hydroelectricity Supply, But Solar Makes Up the Gap

From the San Jose Mercury News:

“Despite last week’s showers, the lack of rain in California this winter is having a dire impact on the rivers and reservoirs that power the state’s hydroelectricity plants.

“But the abundance of sunshine has been ideal for solar power, which is stepping in to fill the anticipated drop-off in hydroelectricity generation.”

Aquafornia news February 12, 2014 Los Angeles Times

A Long Wait to Go Solar — Delays at Los Angeles DWP Confound Customers, Thwart Installers

From the Los Angeles Times:

“It takes L.A. at least 12 to 13 weeks to approve and inspect rooftop panels for homeowners, according to estimates provided by the DWP. That’s roughly five times what it takes in San Diego and Sacramento.”

Read more from the LA Times

Aquafornia news January 2, 2014 Desert Sun

Imperial Irrigation District Looks to Increase Number of Customers

From The Desert Sun:

“Imperial Irrigation District is starting the new year with a plan to increase the number of its customers installing rooftop solar by reducing by a third the cash rebates it offers for such projects — even though that could mean some ratepayers planning to go solar could lose thousands of dollars in expected incentives.”

Los Angeles DWP is Moving Ahead with Plans for Owens Valley Solar Plant

From the Los Angeles Times:

“Over the objections of critics, Los Angeles is moving ahead with plans to build a $680-million 200-megawatt solar energy plant within view of this desolate Eastern Sierra site that was a Japanese American internment camp during World War II.”

Read more from the LA Times

Aquafornia news December 26, 2013 Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles DWP is Moving Ahead With Plans for Owens Valley Solar Plant

From the Los Angeles Times:

“Over the objections of critics, Los Angeles is moving ahead with plans to build a $680-million 200-megawatt solar energy plant within view of this desolate Eastern Sierra site that was a Japanese American internment camp during World War II.”

Read more from the LA Times

Aquafornia news December 4, 2013 Press-Enterprise

San Bernardino County: Solar Development Moratorium to End

From the Press-Enterprise:

“San Bernardino County supervisors on Tuesday, Dec. 3, endorsed new rules to protect communities and natural resources from potential conflicts with commercial solar developments.

Aquafornia news November 26, 2013 San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Plans to Revive Solar Finance Program

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“All but killed by the federal government three years ago, an innovative way of financing home solar installations may be poised for a comeback. And San Francisco officials want to be part of that resurgence.”

Aquafornia news November 8, 2013

Commentary: You Like Water Mysteries? This One’s a Doozy

From The Bakersfield Californian, in a commentary by Lois Henry:

“A water grab is a water grab is a water grab. No matter how AquaHelio Resources LLC tries to dress it up, that’s what I believe its proposed Fremont Valley Preservation Project amounts to. I wrote about this mysterious company’s initial proposal last year when it was just a solar/water banking project.”

Aquafornia news November 6, 2013 San Luis Obispo Tribune

California Valley Solar Ranch Construction Finished

From the San Luis Obispo Tribune:

“Construction of the California Valley Solar Ranch, one of two commercial photovoltaic plants on the Carrizo Plain, in the San Luis Obispo County, is complete.”

Aquafornia news November 5, 2013 Capital Public Radio

SMUD Testing New Concentrating Solar Power Project

From Capital Public Radio:

“SMUD is launching a new clean energy project to help improve efficiency at its natural gas-fired power plant. The U.S. Energy Department has given the utility $10 million to test the technology. …

“The technology uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight and focus it on water to produce steam.”

Aquafornia news October 30, 2013 Desert Sun

BrightSource Energy’s Palen Threat to Wildlife Examined

From The Desert Sun:

“BrightSource Energy’s Palen solar project will in all likelihood result in the death of migratory and other birds, and state officials have no plan as yet on how to minimize this and some of the other wildlife impacts of the solar thermal plant, with its two soaring 750-foot towers surrounded by thousands of reflecting mirrors.”

Blog: Sacramento Valley Town to Buy Solar Power From Kern County

From the KCET ReWire blog:

“The upscale Sacramento suburb of Roseville will buy 325,000 megawatt-hours of electrical power from a solar facility more than 260 miles south of the city, in a Kern County town more readily known for oil wells than solar fields. Roseville will buy all the power from First Solar’s Lost Hills solar facility for four years.”

East Bay Cities Announce Streamlined Process for Solar Permits

From the San Jose Mercury News:

“For years, the solar industry has complained about wide disparities in the permitting fees California cities charge for solar installations on homes, schools, churches and retail stores, not to mention the amount of red tape and time associated with getting a permit processed. Now nine East Bay cities — Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Hayward, Oakland, Richmond and San Leandro — have joined forces to streamline the permitting process …

“The collaborative effort, three years in the making, could serve as a blueprint for str

Aquafornia news August 7, 2013 Marin Independent Journal

Marin Supervisors Defeat Proposed Novato Solar Farm

From the Marin Independent Journal:

“A proposed Novato solar energy farm that would have been capable of powering 200 Marin homes was killed by the Marin Board of Supervisors in a 3-1 vote Tuesday.”

Aquafornia news August 5, 2013 Marin Independent Journal

Proposed Novato Solar Farm Divides Environmental Groups

From the Marin Independent Journal:

“A project that would seemingly be embraced by Marin’s environmental community — a solar farm that could power 200 local homes — has instead divided environmentalists. Some environmental advocates say the proposed solar project, at the Green Point Nursery just outside Novato, is exactly what the county needs as it looks to reduce its ecological footprint.

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