Resource Library

This report reviews small wind permitting fees for 58 California counties, less than half of which have standard requirements for small wind systems. It recommends setting a permit fee ceiling of $1,000, a figure based on fees from several counties with requirements in accordance with California Assembly Bill 1207, and is considered reasonable in comparison to lower solar permitting fees.

Planning for EVs, including how much additional energy they will require and where and when charging will occur, is a new challenge for the electric sector and may call for integration of travel behavior data, previously relegated to the transportation sector. Coordination with public agencies will facilitate optimal deployment of EVs, ensuring not only that electric infrastructure is adequate to handle the additional load in the necessary locations in coming years, but also that appropriate charging infrastructure is located so that travel demand can be met using EVs.

The demand for energy is growing worldwide and this is especially true for Thailand. By closely examining the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors, the government developed financial mechanisms to support growth in energy demand while achieving mitigation targets.

The concept of crowdfunding has made a major impact on many creative industries in recent years. It allows many "micro-investors" to make small contributions towards a project, business or endeavor via an online portal. Visit the source link below to access the program webpage.

This report is meant to assist state and local decision makers in understanding how the financing of energy savings performance contract projects can effectively fit into the structure of a revolving loan fund.

For any rezoning application for property larger than two acres and/or 500,000 square feet of floor area, the applicant must complete a study or plan on a range of sustainability measures, including a low-carbon energy supply. If a cost competitive low-carbon energy supply is available, it must be implemented as a condition of development. In June 2014, the City amended its rezoning policy to require buildings to meet the minimum requirements for LEED Gold certification.

This report serves as both an analysis of current trends in ridesharing and a toolkit for public agencies, large and small, to create ridesharing programs tailored to meet the needs of their respective constituencies. Best practices from around the U.S. are illustrated in a series of case studies, and the report also contains a step-by-step "how to" guide for implementation.

Rockland County's 2006 ordinance mandates that by 2008 50% of light-duty and medium-duty vehicles purchased by the County are cleaner fueled vehicles, increasing to 100% by 2010, with the exception of specially equipped vehicles.

This interactive and comparative map created by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory displays the albedo, or surface reflectance value, of roofs in five California cities. These maps can be used to identify areas with potential for green or cool roofs, which can reduce urban heat.

The Roof Savings Calculator was developed as an industry-consensus roof savings calculator for commercial and residential buildings using whole-building energy simulations. An annual simulation of hour-by-hour performance is calculated for the building properties provided based on weather data for the selected location. Annual energy savings reported are based upon heating and cooling loads and thus this calculator is only relevant to buildings with a heating and/or cooling unit.

Santa Clara County's Photovoltaics Inspection Checklist contains a section specifically for energy storage and battery systems. The checklist ensures that the installation and operation of battery systems is in compliance with a range of National Electrical Code standards. This checklist can easily be adopted for use in other jurisdictions.

In May 2012, the Public Utility Commission of Texas adopted an amendment that gives the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) the authority to conduct pilot projects for energy storage and other techologies that are exempted from ERCOT rules. It is intended to provide ERCOT with better knowledge, understanding, and experience with new technologies and services.

The United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service provides loans and grants to promote rural economic growth while reducing greenhouse gases. It covers financing for demand side management, power factor correction, among other energy efficiency investments.

First adopted in 1979, Sacramento County updated its Energy Element in 2011 to guide the update of the General Plan. The Energy Element outlines a set of specific goals, objectives, strategies, and policies to reduce per capita energy consumption, reliance on non-renewable resources, and seasonal and daily peak electrical demand. It also helps specify the roles and responsibilities of county government in this process. The Energy Element consists of two major works: a Research report (Background Section) and a combined Policy Plan and Action Program. The Research Report provides background data for the Policy Plan. A countywide "energy account" in the Research Report is intended to be updated annually, and will serve as a base by which to measure the effectiveness of the Energy Element.

Sacramento Municipal Utility District has a community solar program called Solar Shares.

SMUD became the only large California utility to meet the statewide goal of supplying 20% of its power from renewables in 2010, and has chosen to exceed the state requirement of 37% by 2020. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet this goal, SMUD plan to utilize energy efficiency, renewable and net carbon-free resources, including large hydroelectric resources and biogas (to the extent that their use is cost effective and beneficial to SMUD customers). To guide SMUD in its resource evaluation and investment, the Board set out interim goals in its strategic directive on resource planning, which can be viewed in full below.

This before-and-after analysis of economic and transportation impacts of 37 Complete Streets in-fill projects across the country found that Complete Streets led to improvements in safety, multimodal travel, increased private sector investments in the area, and increased property values. California projects include those in Berkeley/Albany, Lancaster, Long Beach, and Novato.

This 13 page factsheet provides an overview of how sales tax incentives may be structured and factors local governments can consider in sales tax design. It also provides Appendices with a summary map and detailed table of statewide incentives. It covers incentives for both residential and non‐residential projects.

This case study provides demonstrates how the Salt Lake Community Solar program pre-negotiated deep discounts for solar PV systems through a tiered pricing schedule that provides increasing discounts to all participants as more people commit to solar. Visit source link below to access the program website.

The Salt River Project utility in Arizona offers a comprehensive solar program that encourages residential and commercial customers to participate by providing useful information about the process of installing solar, including: a video, checklist, finding a contractor, financing options and an FAQ. Visit source link below to access the program tools and documents.

The System Advisor Model (SAM) is a performance and financial model designed to facilitate decision making for people involved in the renewable energy industry, including project managers and engineers, incentive program designers, technology developers, and researchers. Visit the source link below to learn about and download the tool.

This excerpt from Ready, Set, Charge California's Guide to EV-Ready communities contains examples of building code amendments pertaining to EV charging station installation sand energy/storage management systems. The two are grouped so that local agencies can consider aligning the goals of sustainable transportation, energy efficient buildings, and reduced emissions.

The DC Sustainable Energy Utility leverages an innovative model to achieve energy efficiency and solar energy goals for Washington DC. Visit source link below to access the program website.

This is a checklist to perform an energy audit of a building separated into building areas such as building envelope, building occupancy, HVAC, hot water, lighting, power, refrigeration and ancillary systems.

This framework provides guidance and example language for creating a permitting process and ensuring proper siting, installation, maintenance, and closure of a geothermal energy system. The language provided can be modified to become part of a municipality's drilling or well regulations, part of the General Codes, or part of the zoning ordinance.