photo: gkjarvis
California regulators Thursday unveiled a plan to produce 1.5 gigawatts of carbon-free energy by not building three massive power plants. Instead, they will tap “nega-watts” through an energy-efficiency program that will reward the state’s big utilities for saving electricity and penalize them for missing targets set by the California Public Utilities Commission. "Energy efficiency is the best choice for meeting the energy needs of California’s citizens and its economy, while protecting the environment," wrote utilities commissioner Dian Grueneich and administrative law Judge Meg Gottstein wrote in a ruling detailing the plan. "Producing ‘nega-watts’ … of energy by using limited energy supplies more efficiently is smart business, smart for California’s ratepayers and the least-cost way to address climate change."
The emphasis on energy efficiency has kept California’s per-capita electricity usage flat over the past three decades despite an explosion in the state’s population and an economic boom that made it the world’s eighth-largest economy. Now with a state cap on greenhouse gas emissions, regulators are upping the ante on energy efficiency as a way to avoid building new carbon-emitting power plants while renewable energy sources are put in place. If the state’s energy efficiency targets are met, regulators said that California would eliminate 3.4 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2008.
In a mind-numbingly complex 212-page ruling that has kept legions of lawyers and analysts employed, regulators laid out a formula for determining how PG&E (PCG), Southern California Edison (EIX) and San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SRE) energy efficiency programs will count toward meeting targets. If a utility meets 85 percent of the energy efficiency goals, for instance, it will earn a 9 percent rate of return on its investment, ratcheting up to 12 percent if all the targets are met. If the Big Three utilities’ energy efficiency performance falls below 50 percent of the target, then they would be penalized a collective $238.5 million, according to the plan.
Regulators said the plan was intended to steer the utilities away from the “steel-in-the-ground” mindset that building new power plants was the best way to make money. By focusing efforts on energy efficiency, utilities could avoid financing and capital costs associated with constructing new power plants, and California consumers would save an estimated $2.7 billion between by 2008. What the plan did not do was identify specific energy efficiency measures the utilities must take to meet the targets. But in the past, programs have included everything from handing out compact fluorescent light bulbs to giving rebates to data center operators that cut electricity use by using more efficient computers. One hope is that interactive "smart meters" capable of monitoring household appliances energy use will encourage conservation by allowing utilities to vary the price of electricity according to demand.
Green Wombat 
Although “The emphasis on energy efficiency has kept California’s per-capita electricity usage flat over the past three decades” it hasn’t prevented frequent rolling blackouts during hot summer days. Those peaks energy demands need to be reduced to avoid the these disruptions.
geomark-
What rolling blackouts? The ones that made the news because of supply shortages were in 2001. The most recent ones in California were in 2005 because of a faulty sensor in a transmission line. Go to http://www.caiso.com/ you’ll see there’s plenty of juice to go around.
RE: Q. “What the plan did not do was identify specific energy efficiency measures the utilities must take to meet the targets”
A. It is not possible.
Q. If calculating the proposed commercial, industrial and even residential projects to be constructed in 2008, how many more MW is needed?
A. Approximately 1,800
Q. How much it will cost the development in 2008 of 100MW solar thermal electric with storage hybrid power plant?
A. $286 million (same amount as the penalty)
Q. Can interactive “smart meters” be capable of saving the life of over 30% overweight Americans, who need to stay cool in the up coming heat waves of 2008? (Also ask any M.D.)
A. Not possible.
Q. No. 5 – 1,000,000 (it is a Volume of over 1,000 pages)
A. May not be possible to address this question.
“Q. How much it will cost the development in 2008 of 100MW solar thermal electric with storage hybrid power plant?
A. $286 million (same amount as the penalty)”
Very interesting data point. What sort of technology enables a solar thermal plant with storage to come in at ~$2,900/kw? That’s about $800/kw less than I’ve seen for CSP without storage.
The other wise thing about this course of action is that it helps insulate California against future electrical rate hikes by reducing the exposure of the economy and individual consumers to same.
There is nothing in this plan to reduce the massive amounts of coal burned to supply California with electricity. Oh, it is burned in other states, on Indian land, so that’s OK with California!
http://tinyurl.com/2vqa2f
We applaud PG&E for being one the best IOU in Renewable Energy Procurement. However, despite these folks who speak against.
In due respect to all piers, inclusive thereof Brent, Geomark, et al, please note of the followings:
We cannot disclose trade secrets, however can elaborate (considering the facts that our copyrights and pending registration patents are in place) on the “Supper System” to be implemented by Solar MW Energy, Inc.
Also, we applaud Mr. Todd Woody, for his viable comments. (There was a wrong link to one of our affiliate, however did not apply to our affiliate. It was another person/entity, who did not like PG&E.
Please note, that we strongly believe that PG&E is the leader in the procurement of Renewable Energy, as well as one of the best utility (IOU)
The “Supper System”:
(Please note that the Copyright Laws protects the “Entire design system embodied into one mass”, and Patents covers “Individual Components”)
– Parabolic trough technology was invented around 1860 by Mr. Mouchot, (Copyright has expired some 62 years ago), implemented in a utility scale by LUZ, over a decade and half ago, as weal as the “Dish-Tower” (some decade ago) implemented by Stirling.
– In 2005, two inventors(confidential names) perfected the tried-and-true parabolic trough technology’s design of Mr. Mouchet, that was utilized by SEGS over a decade and half ago and subsequently and recently by Nevada Solar One, (not a LUZ II / BrightSource – they have another (own system of one of the best functional design) including few small pilot projects in between (also known as Concentrated Solar Power CSP), as follows:
+ Instead of one parabola collector (mirrors), will utilize “Twin Parabolic Collectors” (mirrors), which do not break (designed to withstand over 80 mph wind force and up to 7.6 earthquake magnitude, on single gear axis.
Said Twin Parabolic Collectors (TPC) are of rigid structural integrity thermoplastic mirrors (manufactured in China – confidential Mfgs).
(Can assemble this super pre-assembled system in less than 3 months per 100 MW solar plant, at total costs mfg+assembly of less than 1.5 cents of levelized costs)
+ The Twin Parabolic Collectors are not mounted on “labor intensive and costly aluminum space frame. Instead, such are mounted on Super Rigid Thermoplastic Structural Integrity System. (Again, manufactured in China – confidential Mfgs.) Can also assemble this super pre-assembled system, in 3 months for costs of less than 1 cent of levelized costs)
+ Instead of single pipe receivers (pipe in glass (vacuum) pipe, the Super System will utilize “Twin Parabolic Receivers – one for each of the Twin Parabolic Collectors, designed to be a bent in parabolic shape carbon steel tube, primed with best carbon coating (trade secret coating), which will heat the Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) to over 400 degree Celsius. These receivers do not brake, nor leak. A Clamp system (can remove one only without the rest in series) with Super Connection System – Triplex Leg Tube-Pipe System.
+ It is a know fact that the solar alone capacity factor may not exceed 33%, even in Zone 9 Solar Iradiaion, being where the solar plants will be. (Just a hint – in the Mojave Desert, close to the Kramer Substation, Kramer Junction, Cluster 7, CAISO Zone SP-15).
Therefore, that is why the second tube in the twin parabolic collector’s system is implemented, to collect the HTF during sunlight and directly go to the storage of the MS (underground -trade secret system) Storage Tanks (Hot & Cold), to be utilized during off-peak (7 hours duration), increasing the capacity factor by 29%, to a cumulative for the solar field of up to 62%.
+ Renewable Portfolio Standards for California allows up to 25% use of natural gas-assist system for Qualifying Facility (QF) under PURPA. Such QF’s receive another substantial incentive – called Production Credit (dollar amount per mWh is confidential to disclose).
+ Utilizing the “Super Combined Cycle System” (SCCS), that includes Wartsila reciprocating natural gas-fired engines from Finland, each at Nominal 8.2 MW, which uses only 1 gallon/h of water and have Oxidation Catalyst / Ultra Low Emission System (near-zero pollution), the capacity factor is improved by another 24%, to a cumulative of 86% capacity factor.
+ The hot exhaust plumes from the Wartsila’s engines, instead of going to be wasted and released to the air, are re-directed to: System 1 to the MS Hot Underground Storage Tank, and System 2 to the Waste Heat Recovery System (WHRS), thus increasing the capacity factor by another 11%, to an aggregate of 97% capacity factor.
This Supper System can be integrated, and can be supper-peak, base load and/or anything in between, and the plant can start in less than 9 minutes and develop for less than 9.2 cents levelized costs, with insignificant O&M’s costs.
With the carbon fiasco, fossil fuel plant will soon reach 10 cents levelized costs, and therefore not only the IOUs will be thrilled, but the ratepayers, when such Super System Solar Thermal Hybrid Powers Plants – Utility Scale are develop and operational.
And the sooner, the better, if the Financial Community also accept, at least 101 Educational Course. Some already see the “Green Base Load – Production Incentive Driven Fix Income” and are questioning……….
This Supper System of the two inventors falls under the Copyrights Laws, construed as “Design Embodied Into one Mass System”