California is known forleading the nation in many ventures, trends and movements, and 2009is no different. In areas all across California, local and stategovernments are supporting "greening" measures to helpthe environment and raise accountability. Going hand-in-hand with theloftier goal of cleaning house, proverbially, comes lucrativespending contracts to update infrastructure. In Los Angeles alone,SCE and the LADWP are working with Mayor Villaraigosa, to get on thetrack to a goal of 20 percent renewable energy use in LA within only ahandful of years.
During the last week ofJanuary, Governor Schwarzenegger voiced his support for tougherenvironmental laws, asking for support from the federal government.It may soon come to be that the more stringent Californiaenvironmental laws will be incorporated into federal law as well. Thegovernor and mayors across California have encouraged updates tooutdated energy and power infrastructure, with more earth-friendlyplanning in mind. Mayor Villaraigosa started the Green LA projectless than two years ago, the goal of which is to get the city of LosAngeles using renewable energy for at least 35 percent of all energy use by2020, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in LA. Beyond thepro-environmental implications of lowered greenhouse gas levels, theGreen LA initiative is very much pro-alternative energy, and includesthe Pine Tree Wind Farm, which is exactly what it sounds like: asolar energy project.
A huge energy supplierin Southern California, Southern California Edison may soon be theface of alternative energy use in LA. Edison has been investing inrenewable energy research and efficient power use. According to SCE,the major supplier already prides itself on being the largestconsumer of renewable energy, in the entire USA, including windpower, biomass and solar, among other sources. SCE is also working onwhat it describes as the most expansive wind power harnessingproject, the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project. Hearteningalso is the news that about $15 million may be invested by thecompany in its power grids, to make the grids "greener andsmarter" for the more than 10 million customers SCE providespower for.
Not to be outdone, the Los Angeles Department of Water &Power, another major power player in LA, is engaging in verypro-green projects, including Green Power for Green LA, which is alsoa project that encourages alternative energy use. Some of the newforms of suggested energy include water power, sun power and windpower. SCE just recently also constructed solar power "rooftopinstallation," the completion of which was celebrated with avisit by the governor himself (a Southern California resident, whennot in Sacramento.) Like SCE, the LADWP is interested in harnessingthe power of the wind to power LA home.
San Francisco is knownas a city nearly always on the cutting-edge of environmentalprograms, and 2009 doesn't appear to prove any different.Already, the city may pride itself on one of the best publictransportation systems in California, in addition to the manyambitious local programs that have been set in place to try to reducegreenhouse gas emissions. Now, the city is encouraging residents to"Go Solar." GoSolarSF (in cooperation with the CaliforniaSolar Initiative) is an alternative energy program meant to"encourage more installations of solar power in San Francisco."Through this program, businesses and homeowners who agree to switchto solar power (at their own residences) residents can get rebatesthrough the city, state and federal funds to "pay half the costor more of a solar power system installed in San Francisco,"running up to $4,000 for private homeowners and $10,000 forbusinesses.
Solar photovoltaic power is another option for SanFrancisco residents. According to the city of San Francisco, theMoscone Center provides more than 2,000kW of solar power to the city.Another step the San Francisco city government is taking to ensure21st century sustainability is the Water SystemImprovement Program, through the San Francisco Public UtilitiesCommission. The aging water system of SF is indeed in need of repair.The city is taking this opportunity both to update an outmodedsystem, and make it more sustainable in the process.
In 2006, the governorcreated the Million Solar Roofs Plan (aka the California SolarInitiative), to provide more clean energy "and reduce theoutput of greenhouse gages by three million tons." $3.3 billionwill be put towards this pro-solar energy plan, with the hopes ofconstruction 1,000,000 rooftop solar installations within the nextdecade. In the past, the governor has also encouraged the building ofa "Hydrogen Highway," better water management and effortsto lower our "carbon footprints." In 2006, the governoralso oversaw the awarding of $1,000,000 to the University ofCalifornia, Davis to "create the nation's firstuniversity-based Center on Energy Efficiency," with thehoped-for result of creating future jobs and business incentives towork in California.
It certainly is nice tosee state and local officials encouraging responsible energy use andforward-thinking energy measures. Let's just hope that themoney is spent reasonably, responsibly and yields some great results.