Synopsis: Greater use of solar energy to replace reliance on nuclear and fossil fuels got a big boost with Governor Jerry Brown's signing of legislation to encourage installation of solar panels on the rooftops of homes, commercial buildings and parking structures throughout California, which is expected to help pave the way for the phase out of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant over the next decade.
Governor Jerry Brown has signed a little-noticed bill that is expected to open the way for significantly expanded use of solar panels on the rooftops of residential and commercial buildings and parking structures throughout California, thereby helping accomplish the renewables goals of the state's ambitious Long-Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan. If adhered to, it could produce the energy needed to replace reliance on the Diablo Canyon and San Onofre nuclear plants in about 10 years.
"If California actually follows the excellent Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, we can readily displace the output of Diablo Canyon and SONGS (San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station) over the next decade," said Bill Powers, a widely-known California engineer with extensive experience in solar energy and power plants.
The legislation signed by Brown, Senate Bill 226, makes the installation of solar panels on rooftops of buildings or in parking lots eligible for exemption from review by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Without that CEQA exemption, Powers explained, "county or city governments not keen on encouraging rooftop/parking lot solar could delay/obstruct the process of permitting such projects by insisting on some level of CEQA review. It is a definite and deserved benefit for rooftop/parking lot systems."
The legislation will also benefit the environment in another way. Powers explained that "it codifies an obvious environmental advantage of putting solar on rooftops and parking lots versus attempting to locate large solar arrays on sensitive lands. The state is saying, with this legislation, that there are no environmental impacts associated with putting the panels on rooftops and parking lots, and therefore no need to waste time and money on a CEQA analysis to verify what we already know — there are no environmental impacts."
The environmental impacts of Sunpower's California Valley Solar Ranch and First Solar's Topaz Solar Farm, both being planned on the Carrizo Plain in eastern San Luis Obispo County, have led to objections being raised by environmental groups ranging from the Sierra Club to the Natural Resources Defense Council over habitat disruption and threats to endangered and imperiled species from the construction of the fields of solar panels in that Carrizo Plain National Monument area. In addition, similar environmental concerns have been voiced about the needed installation of lengthy electrical transmission lines from those solar installations to urban areas, as well as the loss of energy and inefficiency of such transmission.
Governor Brown said the bill, which he signed on October 4, "will avoid costly and repetitive permitting for certain renewable power projects" in the state.
The bill's author, State Senator Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto), said in a press release that it is designed to streamline regulatory and environmental reviews for infill development and renewable energy projects.
"Senate Bill 226 streamlines the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance process in ways that assist business expansion and help create immediate jobs. However, the new law also maintains important environmental safeguards while balancing economic development and community interests."
Simitian said he "had some pushback" against his efforts to streamline the CEQA process, but noted that "a streamlined process is a win-win situation. Protecting the environment and promoting economic development are not mutually exclusive. We can and should do both." Simitian noted that he chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, is a life member of the Sierra Club, and has a 99% lifetime scorecard with the California League of Conservation Voters.
Simitian noted that "California has the second highest unemployment rate of any state, and a streamlined CEQA process will get worthwhile projects off the ground sooner rather than later and help generate much needed jobs."
The state's Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan cites the energy efficiency mandates of the California Solar Initiative (CSI) as being part of its overall energy use reduction objectives, and its Implementation Plan calls for the expanded use of solar panels.
Here are excerpts from part of the Strategic Plan:
—There has never been a more important time for energy efficiency in California. With a growing population, increasing fuel prices, and the pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a rapid and low‐cost manner, the value of energy efficiency in California is self‐evident.
—The plan is a statewide roadmap for a dramatic scaling‐up of statewide energy efficiency efforts to meet today’s urgent energy challenges. While California’s trend‐setting efficiency policies of the past three decades have been successful in keeping our per capita use flat, the major focus has been on incremental changes in building and appliance standards and short‐term programs with limited market impact. The unifying objective of this plan is to compel sustained market transformation which moves California towards long‐term, deeper savings which impact the fundamental ways in which California’s residents and businesses use energy.
—PG&E and the other utilities have pledged to work with the state in implementing the plan.
—On average, for every dollar spent on energy efficiency, two dollars are saved by not investing in more expensive power plants or transmission lines.
—Many of the energy savings opportunities identified in the plan are available at "negative cost" — that is, they will generate positive economic returns over their lifecycle. Moreover, much of the plan will be implemented through investor-owned utility ratepayer‐funded programs, which are subject to cost effectiveness tests in order to ensure that the costs of implementing the measure are less than those of an equivalent investment in new power plants or transmission lines.
—The plan adopts three "zero net energy" (ZNE) strategies:
1. All new residential construction in California will be zero net energy by 2020
2. All new commercial construction in California will be zero net energy by 2030
3. Fifty percent of existing buildings will be zero net energy by 2030
Zero net energy generally means a building will consume no net energy in a typical year. This is because the amount of energy demanded by the building is equal to the amount provided by on‐site or near‐by renewable energy sources. When the building is producing more electricity than it needs, it exports its surplus to the grid (the state's total energy production). When the building requires more electricity than is being produced on‐site, it draws from the grid.
Generally, when constructing a ZNE building, energy efficiency measures can result in up to 70% savings relative to existing building practices, which then allows for renewables to meet the remaining load.
