California Climate & Energy Collaborative

Seven cities receive technical assistance to meet resiliency goals

Sarina Soor
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“Each city will receive $10,000 in direct financial support, as well as technical assistance and professional development opportunities to help them meet community-specific resiliency goals. The seven cities selected for the 2018 Leadership in Community Resilience Program are: Birmingham, Ala.a; Bozeman, Mont.; Durango, Colo.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Kingston, N.Y.; Nashua, N.H.; and San Leandro, Calif. NLC…

BayREN March Forum | Increasing Reliability and Resiliency with Microgrids

Sarina Soor
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“Microgrids are localized grids that have the potential to improve reliability and resiliency of the grid, offer a backup energy solution for communities during grid outages, and contribute to achieving California’s clean energy future. This forum aims to help local governments, utilities and the private sector understand the benefits of microgrids, what to expect when…

Valuing the Resilience Provided by Solar and Battery Energy Storage Systems

Sarina Soor
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“Researchers from NREL and Clean Energy Group found that placing a monetary value on the ability of solar+storage to avoid losses during grid outages can significantly impact project economics and system design. Using data from Southern California Edison, researchers analyzed the economic case for solar+storage for three customer types (school, office building, and hotel) in…

Fire-torn northern California becomes ‘Living Lab’ for microgrids

Sarina Soor
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“The Stone Edge Microgrid survived the fires. Now its owners are developing a new project, incorporating lessons learned. The plan to bring power to Stone Edge’s remote vineyard has become another test case for off-grid technology: the Silver Cloud microgrid project. This time, unlike at the original Stone Edge site, there will be no grid backup.”…

How a solar microgrid is helping an indigenous California Tribe achieve community resiliency

Sarina Soor
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“Several years ago, the tribe started looking into solar power, both as a low-cost clean energy resource and an economic opportunity for its members. Taking advantage of a state program for low-income households, the tribe partnered with nonprofit GRID Alternatives to put solar power on 80 homes on the reservation and train 20 tribal members…

Year in Review: Growth of microgrids for resilience

Sarina Soor
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“Since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, that country has been quietly moving toward microgrids, distributed generation, and smart energy systems, Reuters reported this year. The coastal city Higashi-Matsushima has an independent transmission grid, solar panels, and batteries that can keep power running for a minimum of three days if disaster were to strike…

Climate change is here. Can California’s infrastructure handle it?

Sarina Soor
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“This has been a year of extremes in California. We’ve experienced all-time temperature highs (statewide and regionally), a deadly heat wave, the most destructive and lethal wildfires in the state’s history, and the second wettest winter on record following a historic five year drought. The impacts have been staggering: many lives lost, thousands of properties destroyed, and costly infrastructure damage.” Click here…

8 Lessons for Building Resiliency After the California Wildfires

Sarina Soor
6. Grid electricity is a key vulnerability. “When the power goes down, everything stops. This is not to say that grid power is essential to all human life: far from it (a handy book on my shelf is titled Living Without Electricity). But as things are, we’re set up to depend on electricity for computers, smart phones,…

Webinar: ARCCA – Voluntary Resilience Standards – Oct. 17

Sarina Soor
On behalf of The Kresge, Energy, and Barr Foundations, Meister Consultants Group recently prepared a report, “Voluntary Resilience Standards: An Assessment of the Emerging Market for Resilience in the Built Environment.”  This webinar on Tuesday, October 17th | 10:00-11:00 AM will provide an overview of the report’s key findings from its market characterization of voluntary standards to…

Webinar: Voluntary Resilience Standards – Oct. 17

Sarina Soor
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Voluntary Resilience Standards An Assessment of the Emerging Market for Resilience in the Built Environment Tuesday, October 17th | 10:00-11:00 AM PT On behalf of The Kresge, Energy, and Barr Foundations, Meister Consultants Group recently prepared a report, “Voluntary Resilience Standards: An Assessment of the Emerging Market for Resilience in the Built Environment.”  This webinar will…

Study: $40M to install solar-plus-storage systems at 12 SF sites for seismic resiliency

Sarina Soor
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Equipping multiple community buildings at 12 sites with solar-plus-storage systems to provide power if a major earthquake knocks San Francisco off the grid would cost $40 million, a new city study shows. Jessie Denver, energy program manager with the Department of the Environment, which is leading the effort in partnership with San Francisco-based energy consultant…