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Working with the Solar Electric Power Association  (SEPA) and other organizations, the Energy Department (DOE) this week released two Funding of Opportunity Announcements (FOA) related to utilities.

Solar Utility Networks: Replicable Innovations in Solar Energy (SUNRISE) is being issued by DOE to solicit applications for two topic areas. Topic A focuses on enabling utilities to develop long-term strategic plans for integrating high levels of renewable energy generation and ensuring that power systems operate reliably in real time under high renewable penetration. Topic B aims to provide technical assistance for building capacity through utility-scale photovoltaic planning and installation. 

DOE’s express purpose in issuing this FOA is to demonstrate cost-effective and reliable solar integration in real time, at utility-scale, in successful utility business models. DOE anticipates providing up to $12 Million through this FOA, for projects two to four years long, depending on the topic area. Awardees must share project costs. This FOA is part of the DOE SunShot Initiative.

SUNRISE deadlines:

• Concept papers due: March 8, 2013
• Expected date for response to concept papers: March 20, 2013
• Deadline for questions: April 21, 2013
• Full applications due: April 24, 2013

The second FOA, Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED) seeks applications to increase power system research, development and analytical capacity. Projects should also be designed to prepare electric utility professionals to manage high penetrations of solar and other distributed energy technologies. To achieve these dual goals, GEARED will support two activities:

• Training consortia focused on quickly bringing their findings into training and educational initiatives
• A national coordination network that will link these consortia to one another and other relevant power system research and development and training activities

Increasing the power systems capabilities and talent pool promotes electric grid security, as well as environmental and economic benefits for all consumers. The GEARED FOA provides funding to support creating three to five regional consortia that work with universities and utilities to incorporate power systems analysis, research and development into curricula and short courses, cooperative internships and continuing education. GEARED will also support the creation of a national training network for distributed power system professionals. The FOA does not apply to undergraduate or graduate fellowships.

GEARED deadlines:

• Concept papers due: April 12, 2013; 5 p.m. EST
• Deadline for questions: April 16, 2013; 5 p.m. EST
• Full applications due: April 19, 2013; 5 p.m. EST

Some of the topic areas are seeking utility applicants, while others are seeking utility groups or other types of entities.  SEPA member utilities that wish to apply directly or would like to apply in partnership with SEPA should contact SEPA President Julia Hamm at 202-559-2025 as soon as possible.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power  Board of Water and Power Commissioners on Jan. 11 approved the first 100 megawatts of a 150-MW program designed to increase local solar power in Los Angeles.

The Solar Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Set Pricing Program will allow customers, solar companies and other third parties to develop solar or other eligible renewable energy projects within LADWP’s service territory and sell the power to LADWP at a set price for distribution on the city’s power grid, the utility said.

A proposal for an additional 50 MW FiT Program will be discussed with the board in March, rounding out the full 150-MW FiT program.  The 100-MW program will begin as soon as Feb. 1 and continue through the end of 2016, the utility said.

“Today we took another major step forward in transitioning to a clean energy future for Los Angeles,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “I’m proud of the LADWP Board of Water and Power Commissioners for moving Los Angeles forward to become the largest city in the nation to offer a feed-in tariff solar program. The FiT program takes advantage of our abundant sunshine to spur new private sector investment that will create jobs and decrease our city’s reliance on dirty fossil fuels.” Read more.  Source: APPA Public Power Daily, 1/17/13

The Interior Department has approved a transmission line across Federal land that will connect a 139-megawatt solar farm in Southern California to the power grid.

First Solar Inc.’s  Campo Verde solar project will be built on private agricultural lands about 5 miles north of the Mexican border.

According to Interior, the thin-film photovoltaic plant is expected to power nearly 42,000 homes, support more than 250 construction jobs and generate $17.5 million in local tax revenue over its lifetime. First Solar said the plant will use no water.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s approval allows up to one mile of transmission line to connect the project to San Diego Gas and Electric’s Imperial Valley substation. The utility has agreed to purchase the power for the next 20 years.

The agency’s environmental assessment said that there are multiple solar projects proposed in the area and that the 230-kilovolt transmission line will contain additional capacity to connect them.

The “gen-tie” line follows a designated utility corridor through the Bureau of Land Management’s Yuha Basin Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The developer has agreed to provide habitat for the flat tailed horned lizard and burrowing owl to offset the 17-acre right of way.

The transmission line is the 32nd major onshore renewable energy project involving Federal lands that, when built, will generate about 7,400 MW of power, Interior said.

California law requires utilities to get 33 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020.  Source: Greenwire, 9/27/12

Western congratulates the city of Riverside, Calif., for reaching a solar milestone early this month by surpassing the 5-megawatt mark. A megawatt is enough to power about 650 homes.

More than 450 residential, commercial, and city-funded solar energy systems are now producing local, clean renewable energy in Riverside, said Riverside Public Utilities .

A 7.35-kilowatt system at the California Citrus State Historic Park, located in the city’s historic orange grove greenbelt, plus a number of smaller residential projects that went on line the first week of September helped to push Riverside over the 5-MW mark.

Riverside has seen about a 1-MW increase in solar generation annually since 2009.

“A key component in our plan to create a clean and green city was to increase our use of renewable energy resources and to make those technologies available to our residents,” said Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge.

Riverside Public Utilities, which provides energy services to more than 106,000 metered customers in the city, currently gets nearly 20 percent of its total power mix from renewable energy resources. Source: Public Power Daily, 9/18/12

Free webinar series helps utilities save money and better serve their customers

Join the Clean Energy Ambassadors (CEA) Tuesday, Sept. 20, at noon Central Time for the next free event in the Lunchtime Webinar Series, Utility Support for Renewables in the Schools .
 
An executive at GE stated a few years ago, that “wind is not a science project anymore,” meaning, of course, that wind technology had become a reliable, mainstream resource for utilities. The same is true of photovoltaic systems. By the time today’s fourth-graders graduate high school, wind and solar power could well make up 20 percent or more of most utility resource portfolios. So what can utilities do to introduce school kids to the resources that will be a part of their not-too-distant energy future?

This webinar explores how community-owned utilities nationwide are helping to bring working renewable energy demonstration projects and curricula to local schools and how you can join them—whether your utility prefers to own the generation or to facilitate school- or third-party ownership.

Speakers will share current success stories of consumer-owned utilities that encourage renewable energy in the schools, including a school-based wind projects in Iowa and South Dakota and school-based solar projects at co-ops and public power utilities nationwide. Larry Flowers, who helped initiate the Wind Energy for Schools program for US DOE and is now promoting school programs through the American Wind Energy Association will talk about his experience working with electric co-ops and public power. Jill Cliburn, a regular contributor to the Clean Energy Ambassadors’ blog, brings her field experience to a discussion of School Solar Best Practices, including using voluntary subscriptions, low-cost financing and power purchase agreements to help support school solar projects.
 
CEA Webinars are held from 12-1 pm Central time (11 a.m. – noon Mountain Time) on the third Tuesday of each month. Because they are focused on the needs of consumer-owned utilities primarily in the Midwest and Plains states, the discussion can be specific, candid and informal. Register today for this free webinar to secure your place.

According to the Solar Electric Power Association’s (SEPA) 2010 Top 10 Utility Solar Rankings report, the top ranked utilities integrated 561 MW of solar electricity in 2010, showing 100 percent growth over one year. 

Utilities were scored in two areas: Solar megawatts installed in 2010 and solar watts per customer. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association was the only Western customer to appear in the first category, acquiring 30.2 MW of new solar power last year. In the second category, Western customer Silicon Valley Power in California ranked first nationally with nearly 40 watts-per-customer. The City of Banning, also in California, moved into the Top 10 by providing more than 27 watts of solar generation per customer. 

The report indicated that market growth is increasingly occurring in areas outside of the solar resource-rich regions of California and the Southwest. Another emerging trend the report identified is the move toward more utility-owned solar projects and third-party power purchase agreements, like Tri-State’s purchase from the Cimarron Solar Facility in New Mexico.

While 30 utilities reported owning 140 MW of solar—a 300 percent increase in utility ownership over 2009—utility solar portfolios differed widely in solar project technologies and procurement strategies. Factors such as state policies, utility preference, solar resources, electricity prices and available incentives influence the make-up of the top 10 power providers’ solar holdings. In California, for example, interconnected customer systems continue to supply a significant amount of solar power for municipal utilities like Silicon Valley and City of Banning.

SEPA is holding a webinar June 23 to discuss the report and talk about how utilities are integrating solar power into their energy portfolios, how the solar market has changed and new market trends. The one-hour event will take place 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern. The cost is free to SEPA members and the media. Register online.

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is offering a limited number of scholarships to attend the 2011 Utility Solar Conference, July 26-27, at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego. 

Scholarship recipients will receive a complimentary full conference registration, valued up to $1199, plus a stipend of up to $750 for coach airfare and hotel accommodations. 

Created by utilities for utilities, the conference’s educational content will target employees across departments with a role in solar program and project development and implementation, from executives to distribution engineers to program marketers. Attendees will enjoy a variety of networking opportunities, including:

• 2010 Top 10 Utility Awards Luncheon
• Utility Solar Interest Groups (USIGs) face-to-face meetings
• Evening receptions
• Networking breakfast with your regional colleagues and SEPA regional director

Don’t miss this forum where utilities can explore solar issues free from outside influences.  The deadline to submit applications is March 7, 2011, and scholarship recipients will be notified by March 14, 2011.

Italy became the second fastest growing solar market in the world in 2009. Join select utility decision makers in Italy from May 7 to 14 for the Solar Electric Power Association’s (SEPA) 2011 international fact-finding mission.

Participate in this invaluable learning experience and unparalleled opportunity to network with your peers. Program participants will see interesting solar sites and meet with key utility players, Italian government representatives and various solar stakeholders as we travel through the country with stops in Milan and Rome.

Apply today to be a part of this unique educational opportunity!  SEPA is offering a limited number of scholarships to eligible applicants.  The deadline for applications is March 7.  Contact Cynthia Hunt Jaehne at 202-595-1148 for more information about the fact-finding mission.

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is now collecting responses to the 2010 Utility Solar Integration Rankings Survey.  This annual survey collects utility data on solar electricity installations in the United States, both photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP), on the customer and utility side of the meter.  The resulting rankings have appeared in such media outlets as the Wall Street Journal, Renewable Energy World, Transmission & Distribution World and Reuters. The information also helps utilities (regardless of rank) to compare their solar capacity with their peer utilities. 

All electric utilities are eligible to take the survey.  You can access the online survey until Feb. 14, 2011.  SEPA will release the 2010 Utility Solar Rankings Report in May 2011, and awards will be presented during SEPA’s Utility Solar Conference from July 26 to 27, 2011, in San Diego, Calif.  Please contact Becky Campbell with any questions.

Don’t let a tight travel budget keep you from attending the Distributed Wind/Solar Interconnection Workshop Jan. 19 to 21, 2011. A limited number of $500.00 travel scholarships are available to utility representatives who want to learn how to analyze the impacts of these variable resources on utility distribution networks.

The Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) is presenting this workshop at Western’s Electric Power Training Center in Golden, Colo.  The agenda is highlighting UWIG’s online DG Evaluation Toolbox, which enables engineers to analyze the impacts of these types of variable generation on utility distribution networks.  Participants will also be able to tour the Electric Power Training Center and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s National Wind Technology Center.

Registration for the workshop is limited to 30, and scholarships are offered on a first come, first served basis.  To secure a scholarship, contact Randy Manion, Western Area Power Administration, at 720-962-7423. Learn more about the agenda, accommodations and registration.

UWIG is sponsoring this workshop in partnership with Western, American Public Power Association, Wind Powering America, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, U.S. Department of Energy Wind Technologies Program, American Wind Energy Association and Solar Electric Power Association.