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Project Descriptions & Project Status

SCOTT ALAN CRONK

Updated: November 5, 2002

• Project started on June 13, 2001



• Scott Cronk and Bob Andruszkiewicz had a kickoff meeting with Energy Commission staff to discuss their program status on August 9, 2001. Scott submitted draft public service announcements (PSAs) for radio and TV, website map and outline, plans for video distribution, and preliminary observations based on their initial research were discussed. Comments by Energy Commission staff were submitted to Scott on the PSAs and web outline. Hollywood Videos, Wherehouse Music and Bradley Video have approved to distribute the 30-minute videos. Blockbuster Homevideo made a corporate decision not to participate in any public service video distributions after grant solicitation was written. However, Scott is working to find other outlets to distribute the video. Other consideration is libraries and schools. Due to changes in the energy market in California, it was decided not to include Electric Service Providers in the video. Manufacturers of renewable energy systems had provided equipment to support the production of the 30-minute show.



• Scott and Bob participated at SolFest in Hopland on August 25 & 26 to promote the show "This Renewable House."



• Filming of the PSA was completed on September 11, 2001 featuring Lee Iacocca. This is the first PSA filmed using renewable energy resources. The PSA will be broadcast on radio and TV stations later this year.



• On September 20, Scott submitted the website address to Energy Commission on "beta"test version for preview and feedback.



• Draft script for "This Renewable House" was provided to Energy Commission staff on September 4, 2001. Comments were submitted back on September 24, 2001. Target date to film the half-hour show is on October 5-8.



• Press Releases were sent out to invite the media to attend the filming of the PSA and the show "This Renewable House."



• "This Renewable House" was filmed on October 5 - 8, 2001. It received TV coverage on KTV50 in Santa Rosa.



• A Press Release was sent out on a new website www.calenergy.org to come out soon that will allow consumers to determine if renewable energy system is right for their home or business. It will also allow them to facilitate the installation of the system. The website includes a contractor database, with tips on how to choose a contractor. Contractors, retailers and consultants were invited to establish an account in the website's database.



• Submitted Quarterly Progress Report to the Energy Commission for the period covering June 13th to September 7th 2001.



• Submitted draft videotapes of Public Service Announcements (3 versions) and "This Renewable House" on December 6, 2001. Additionally, the video home version will cover commercial solar installations.



• On January 11, 2002, 150 audio CDs were mailed to radio stations. 38 broadcast-ready videotapes were mailed to TV stations in California as well.



• On January 17, 2002, preview copies of the program "This Renewable House" and Master copies of the PSA (video and audio CD) were provided to Energy Commission.



• Preview copies were made available to corporate staff of Hollywood Video Wherehouse Music, and Bradley Video in February 2002. Wherehouse Music (76 stores) and Bradley Video (9 stores) have committed to distribute the home video.



• Submitted Quarterly Progress Report to the Energy Commission for the period covering September 8, 2001 to January 15, 2002.



• The program will air on PBS stations around April, just in time for Earth Day. All 13 California PBS stations will at least air the program once. Specific air dates and time will be announced on the "This Renewable House" website at www.calenergy.org. Home video will not be distributed until after the program airs.



• Three (3) radio stations have started airing the PSAs. There were at least 205 airings from January to March 2002. Fox Channel 6 in San Diego reported 25 airings during the same period.



• An article was written and presented to Natural Home magazine, Home Power magazine, Solar Today magazine and Better Homes & Gardens magazine.



• Website is completed. There are currently 130 contractors listed in the online contractor referral database. Average website hits since September 2001 is 6,531 per month. Total hits are 78,381 from September 2001 to February 2002. Average page views is 812 per month and total page views is 9,746 per month.



• Submitted Quarterly Progress Report to the Energy Commission for the period covering January 15 to March 1, 2002.



• Six PBS stations have aired the program as of June 2002. Another three have committed to air the program in late Summer or Fall of 2002. KQED in San Francisco reported that program received the same rating as the program "This Old House" which had approximately 38,000 viewers.



• Point-of-Purchase displays (video sleeve) were produced and completed.



• Copies of the video were distributed to California Building Industries Association (CBIA), California Builder's Exchange, EPRI, and the Institute for Solar Living.



• An article was written and presented to the Northern California Chapter of American Solar Energy Society (ASES), and the California Building Industries Association. An article has appeared in the "Northern California SUN" the newsletter of the NorCal ASES. A paper about the project was presented at the Solar Forum held in Reno, Nevada in June 2002.



• An amount of press was received including IREC's website and newsletter, Natural Home Magazine, Lohas Journal (an internet newsletter), Light Energy Systems' newsletter, and the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.



• Blockbuster and Hollywood Entertainment both made a corporate decision not to participate in the distribution of the videos. The Wherehouse Music (76 stores) and Bradley Video (9 stores) have committed to distribute the home video. A total of 150 videos were delivered to these stores and videos should be available the first week of July.



• 50 copies were distributed to Global Possibilities, who focus their non-profit efforts on colleges and university architecture schools. 17 copies were sold by ASES at the Solar Forum in Reno, Nevada. The video will be advertised on the ASES website and their magazine Solar Today.



• Submitted Quarterly Progress Report to the Energy Commission for the period covering March 1 to June 23, 2002.



• Copies of the show were reproduced in DVD format in August 2002. A flyer and postcard to promote the video were developed and distributed.



• The show aired on KEET in Eureka two times in August and on KVIE in Sacramento in September 2002.



• The program was offered in DVD and VHS formats to 179 public libraries in California in September 2002 for free public access to library patrons. Additionally, videos were also distributed to more than 900 local video stores for free public service rental. A list of individuals, entities, video stores and libraries who received the program was submitted to CEC.



• The public service announcement (PSA) was distributed to 38 television and 150 radio stations in California. The program aired on 8 PBS stations and 1 local cable station in California.



• The calenergy.org website has received more than 250,000 hits by October. Average "hits" per month increased from about 14,000 to 32,000.



• A Final Report that includes lessons learned and recommendations was submitted to CEC in October 2002.



• Project is completed by October 13, 2002 within approved budget and with 251% match share.

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THE RAHUS INSTITUTE

Updated: December 16, 2002

• Project started on June 18, 2001.



• A Quarterly Progress Report was submitted for the period covering June through August 2001.



• The Rahus Institute continues to evaluate educational materials for inclusion in the Resource Kit.



• Lesson plans have been developed and tested. Curriculum developers are refining lesson plans. It will be piloted at a teacher workshop scheduled in San Francisco on September 20 targeting middle school. Next workshops are tentatively scheduled in Alameda and Palo Alto.



• There are 5-10 candidate schools to install PV. Rahus is working to get the first system installed in Alameda. Monitoring and display options are being developed for Alameda school and will be offered to other pilot schools.



• A Quarterly Progress Report was submitted for the period covering September through November 2001.



• Teacher workshops were conducted in Alameda and San Francisco on September 2001 and Palo Alto in November 2001. Lab kits are being developed based on some feedback from the workshop. A "Solar Power Monitor", a new tool developed and assembled will be included in the schools program. This kit will be piloted to Lincoln Middle School with a 6th grade science teacher. Print materials are now being developed. Lesson plans and power monitor kits will be piloted at several schools in January/February 2002.



• A new program title and logo has been completed - "Solar Schoolhouse - Education Energized by the Sun". A draft design for the website was also developed in November.



• Lincoln Middle School in Alameda will now install a 1 kW PV system, reduced from a 2 kW because of budget concerns. Project is now being bid out for installation and is expected to be completed in January/February 2002. Information display is being designed and will include 2 utility meters (dial and digital versions).



• The Rahus Institute is working with a major PV manufacturer to establish a preferred pricing for a packaged 1 kW pole mount grid-tied PV system for participating schools. Expected installation price is estimated at ~$9,000, before state rebate. Rahus will provide a checklist for schools interested in installing a system at their school.



• On March 15, 2002, a PV system was installed at Lincoln Middle School in Alameda.



• Two solar schoolhouse workshops are scheduled in Oakland in April 2002. On April 17, at the Oakland Tech High School, students will develop "solar music box" kits. The lesson includes: solar cells, series wiring, soldering, polarity, volts, amps, and music box cylinder. On April 23, at St. Elizabeth's School, students will build a small solar pond and will be installing 3 solar modules.



• A Quarterly Progress Report was submitted for the period covering December 2001 through March 2002.



• Procurement Plan for 1 kW grid-tied PV systems is completed as of July 2002. A purchase agreement was established with AstroPower and will be posted on the solar schoolhouse website. It will be available to schools per request.



• A teacher at Brawley Union High School (Imperial Valley) is helping with the curriculum development into teacher-friendly format. A project page has been posted online to track the development of the lesson plans. Additional lesson plans will be ready for an August workshop in Lodi.



• 20 Solar Power Monitors have been built and about 15 are to be built and delivered to schools in August/September. Fifty Solar Power Monitors have been assigned to pilot schools.



• Fundraising development is completed. The Rahus Institute has compiled tips on how to conduct a fundraiser instead when they have discovered that there are a number of grants that can be secured to pay for the system. The fundraising tips and grant opportunities for school project will be posted on the solar schoolhouse website.



• A Teacher workshop was conducted on June 27-28 at Brawley Union High School.



• Several stand-alone PV systems were installed as permanent demonstration units at schools. A solar pond fountain was installed at St. Elizabeth's School in Oakland and a solar creek at MLKjr Middle School in Berkeley.



• The Rahus Institute presented a paper at the National Solar Energy Conference in Reno, Nevada in June 2002.



• Articles appeared in local newspapers about the Lincoln Middle School PV installation in Alameda.



• A Quarterly Progress Report was submitted for the period covering April through July 2002.



• To date, key achievements of the program include: designed, built, and distributed Solar Power Monitor kits as a tool in conducting solar electric labs; installed 2 grid-tied PV systems at schools, including display design; assisted 5 schools in securing grant funds for installing a PV system and purchasing Solar Schoolhouse materials; developed a website for schools to post the performance data from their PV systems; conducted more than 20 teacher workshops; developed several special projects at schools such as solar pond, solar pianos, and solar PV/EV go kart; presented the project at the National Solar conference.



• A Final report was submitted in November 2002 that includes a summary of the project development and accomplishment plus lessons learned. Project was completed on time and within budget with 69% match share.

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AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION

Updated: December 16, 2002

• Project started on January 1, 2002



• In January, AWEA identified the counties where it has good wind resource and is eligible for buydown program for direct mail campaign. The counties are Solano, Kern, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Alameda, Sonoma, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo.



• Homeowners who live in the Class 2 or 3 wind resource areas within those targeted counties is the target market for the direct mail campaign.



• Marketing materials were developed. Two fact sheets: one for Alameda, Sonoma, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo counties; and one for Solano, Kern, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties were printed. The Energy Commission Buydown flyer was included in the direct mail campaign. Additionally, eleven (11) case studies were developed. AWEA contacted the small wind manufacturers to identify successful installations within the targeted areas of the direct mail campaign. These fact sheets, flyer, and case studies were posted on AWEA and CEC's websites.



• On April 24, approximately 65,000 pieces were sent out to those targeted counties. A Press Release was sent out on May 2 announcing the launching of the campaign. This was posted on AWEA's website.



• AWEA will obtain inquiry and sales data from manufacturers for the two months prior to the mailing and collect data on the two months following the mailing date. It will include assessments of the impacts of the campaign on sales, sales leads, web hits and media attention.



• In June, AWEA distributed flyers spotlighting three (3) of the eleven case studies at the annual WINDPOWER conference in Portland, OR.



• Two postcards and two new fact sheets were developed for the second phase direct mail campaign. The postcards have information how to contact a wind manufacturer and/or the Energy Commission. It also has a checkbox for recipients to check off if they wanted to be contacted by a local dealer.



• On September 9, AWEA conducted the second phase of the direct mail campaign. This time, approximately 35,000 households that owned at least 1 acre received the new marketing materials. The Energy Commission's Consumer Guide on Buying a Small Wind Electric System was included in the second mailing and was distributed to those households that owned at least 5 acres of land.



• A Media Backgrounder was developed for distribution to coincide with the September 11 Press Release. Three commentaries by small turbine owners and one under the byline of the CEC staff were prepared for publication to coincide with the second phase mailing. Based on those publications, the Vacaville Reporter ran a front-page article on small wind turbines and the rebate program.



• AWEA continues to track sales activities, web pageviews, and others to be reported to the Energy Commission as part of their Final Report requirement.



• Currently, there are 13 success stories posted on the website.



• Also provided was a media support that included a media backgrounder, media commentaries, and media outreach linked to mailings.

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EDUCATORS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Updated: December 10, 2003

• Project started on August 1, 2001.



• Submitted a draft outline of the "Teacher's Guide" titled "Electricity from Renewable Energy" on September 26. In November, an updated outline was submitted including suggested websites for the bookmark.



• In April 2002, the first draft of the Teacher's Guide was submitted to the Energy Commission for review and comments.



• In June 2002, a second draft of the Teacher's Guide was submitted after CEC sent their comments.



• Graphics, student activities and a mascot were selected to be placed in the Guide.



• In October 2002, Educators for the Environment requested to extend their project term to November 2003. Request was approved and the work plan and budget were revised to accommodate the new project term.



• In December 2002, a sample copy of one of the chapters of the Guide was submitted to the Energy Commission's project manager, including illustrations, to show how the Guide will be laid out.



• In February 2003, review drafts of text and most of the illustrations were in circulation. By March, comments and edits on the text by the reviewers as well as changes to the graphics were incorporated.



• In June 2003, a flyer announcing the availability of the Teacher's Guide and bookmarks was distributed to promote the publication.



• Adjustments were made based on suggestions and recommendations of teachers and reviewers: (1) Educators for the Environment will no longer conduct a pilot test of the Guide during summer and will have the final publication available for distribution in September 2003. (2) Bookmarks will be printed one-time (instead of two in increments of 50,000) in conjunction with the printing of the Guide itself.



• The third quarter of 2003 was dedicated to final evaluation and incorporation of reviewer comments including illustrations. The website www.energyforkeeps.org was developed. Teachers will be able to download the teacher's guide for free for use in classrooms. The website will provide ongoing support and supplemental information for users. Bookmarks highlight three main websites that will also lead users to other quality sites on the topic plus a design icons and names for each of the renewable energy source. A flyer "postcard-type" was developed which will be distributed at teacher and other conferences.



• In November 2003, production of the teacher's guide, flyers and bookmarks took place. Copies were mailed to the California county offices of education, school curriculum libraries and statewide public libraries. Project was completed within budget with 60% match share.

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION

Updated: June 26, 2003

• Project started on August 1, 2001.



• Financing and Procurement Assistance: The League of California Cities (LCC) and California State Association of Counties (CSAC) through a joint power agreement will provide low interest financing for cities and counties. Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC) will provide low-interest financing to local governments throughout the State. LGC continue to look into financing opportunities for municipalities interested in purchasing renewables. Materials in the financing and procurement packet include the Energy Commission's "Institutional Financing Options for Renewable Energy Systems." LGC is pursuing bulk procurement of renewable energy systems through the Department of General Services (DGS) California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) Unit. LGC is evaluating this program to ensure that the mechanism is most beneficial to participating agencies. LGC is also working with Keith Rutledge of Renewable Energy Development Institute (REDI) to determine feasibility of and support for the establishment of a buying cooperative.



• A promotional letter was e-mailed to over 35 local government staff who had expressed interest in the program "Stimulating Public-Sector Implementation of Renewable Energy (SPIRE). LGC staff received eight inquiries from municipalities during the last week of August pertaining to the SPIRE project.



• LGC organized a 3-day energy summit on September 7-9 in Monterey, CA. A half-page flyer was included in the registration packet. Information about SPIRE was provided in the participant packet and in the breakout session on renewable energy opportunities.



• LGC purchased display booths for the LCC & CSAC annual conferences to be held on September 13-15 and November 27-28. LGC staff will speak at the League's conference and CSAC conference to promote SPIRE. Materials will be available at the booth. The September event was postponed until January 18 - 20, 2002 due to the events on September 11.



• The September/October issue of Currents - an energy newsletter for local governments - included a feature article on the SPIRE program.



• The National Photovoltaic Construction Standards and Certification Partnership (NPCSCP) and DOE's Million Solar Roofs Initiative (MSRI) will participate in at least 5 workshops over the contract period. Workshop dates and locations are yet to be determined.



• LGC received a Beta Version copy of the Solar Financing Guide CD-ROM compiled by REDI through US DOE.



• 8 additional options for procurement have been researched and reviewed. A meeting held on October 16 will help decide on a procurement mechanism or combination of mechanisms that matches the timeline of SPIRE program and would best serve the public sector.



• LGC plans to have a "working draft" of the Financing and Procurement Assistance packet and will update the packet to include new information because funding sources and procurement information is subject to change.



• LGC had a booth at the California Special District Association Annual conference in Sacramento on September 19-21. The half-page SPIRE flyer was available at the booth.



• The October issue of LGC Reports (the LGC's monthly membership newsletter with a subscription base of approximately 900) included a promotional article about SPIRE.



• SPIRE brochure is completed. Copy of the brochure is available both on the LGC and Energy Commission's website.



• LGC gave a presentation about LGC's energy projects including information about SPIRE to an audience at the annual California American Planning Association (Cal APA) conference on October 21.



• Solar e-Clips (an online newsletter developed by The Rahus Institute) featured an article about SPIRE on its October 30 issue. Due to the publicity, LGC received several phone calls from people interested in participating in the program.



• On October 31, an editorial article written by Peter Asmus appeared in the San Francisco Examiner in support of San Francisco's Proposition B and in general, supportive of municipal applications of PV systems.



• Submitted 1^st Quarterly Progress Report to the Energy Commission.



• Updates on SPIRE are included in the November/December 2001 issue of Currents newsletter. It also included an article titled "SPIRE promotes public sector Renewables", which promotes the SPIRE program.



• On November 28 & 29, 2001, LGC had a booth at the California State Association Counties conference and at the League of California Cities conference on December 19, 2001.



• The four-page "Innovative Energy Strategies for the Public Sector" fact sheet was made available on December 13. It includes case studies of PV installations on public facilities in Santa Cruz, Santa Monica and Alameda County. Also, it includes a "Renewable Energy Checklist" to help local governments, schools and special districts locate financing, rebate incentives and technical assistance. This will be distributed at events, workshops, and through SPIRE technical assistance program.



• On December 14, 2002, LGC made a presentation on public-sector PV installation and the SPIRE program at the PV Forum (PV Alliance) in San Francisco. On December 19, LGC participated in a panel presentation titled "Power Efficiencies and Alternatives: Planning and Managing to Save Electricity" and gave a presentation on the SPIRE program.



• Assistance were provided to City of San Jose, City of Point Arena, City of Arcata, Roseville Electric Utility, City of Berkeley, City of San Luis Obispo, San Francisco Dept. of Environment, City of Reedley, City of Placerville, City of Escalon, City of Loma Linda, and the County of Marin from November 2001 to January 2002.



• The SPIRE fact sheet was distributed at the LGC's "New Partners for Smart Growth" conference in San Diego on January 24 - 26, 2002.



• The Renewable Energy Assistance Packet made its debut on January 28, 2002. The Assistance Packet is a compendium of information on financing, procurement, rebate incentives, and technical assistance programs related to renewable energy projects for the public sector. It is available on the LGC and CEC's website and will be updated as needed.



• The January/February issue of Currents newsletter included an article titled "SPIRE Offers Technical Aid for Renewables." Also, it promoted the SPIRE fact sheet, which is available on the web and the PV Forums scheduled for February in Sacramento.



• As of January, the SPIRE database has 211 contacts. These are people who contacted LGC for information about renewables, SPIRE technical assistance, or to attend workshops. Everyone in the database receives the Currents newsletter.



• In February 2002, two PV Forums were hosted by LGC in Sacramento for Local and State Government leaders. The purpose of these workshops is to unite/coordinate local and state efforts for procurement and to educate local elected officials and staff about financing and procurement options when installing PV systems. Invitations and registration forms were printed and sent to 2500 recipients, including council members, county supervisors, mayors, public works directors, county administrative officers, and key state and local government leaders.



• As a result of the PV Forums in February, technical assistance was provided to City of Lompoc, Port of Oakland, Placer County, City of Pleasanton and City of San Jose.



• A quarterly report for November 2001 to January 2002 was submitted.



• The Renewable Energy Assistance Packet was updated on March 19, 2002. The updated version was e-mailed to the individuals in the SPIRE database.



• Attendees to the LGC's annual conference in March 2002 received the SPIRE brochure and fact sheet. LGC presented the SPIRE program and encouraged local governments to take advantage of financing and rebate incentives for renewable energy.



• The March/April issue of the California County magazine featured an article titled "Becoming Energy Self-Sufficient: Several Counties Lead the Way with Alternative Energy System." It talked about the benefits of solar energy and promoted the technical assistance component of the SPIRE program.



• The feature article in the March/April issue of the Currents newsletter re-capped the PV Forums held in February in Sacramento. Additional articles in this issue include "Energy Forum Recommendations for Renewable Energy Strategies" and "State Cash for Clean Energy", highlighting financing and procurement efforts of the California Power Authority.



• Additional technical assistance was provided to Marin County, City of Oakland, City of Petaluma, City of San Carlos and City of Fairfield in the months of January to March 2002.



• A quarterly report was submitted for the months of January to March 2002.



• From April to June 2002, the Renewable Energy Assistance Packet was downloaded 279 times from the LGC web page.



• In April 2002, information about the SPIRE program was mailed to 3,675 recipients. A brochure was included with a letter from the LGC Executive Director informing decision-makers about the opportunity to install renewable energy systems. Over 30 individuals contacted the LGC as a result of the mailing.



• The SPIRE program was represented at the LGC booth during the May 8 - 9 Great Valley Center Conference in Sacramento.



• On May 13, 2002, LGC gave a presentation to officials from the City of Chico to inform them of the benefits of solar energy. A customized PowerPoint presentation was developed for Chico that examined three scenarios and financing opportunities. A similar, but generic, presentation is now available on LGC's web site that informs decision-makers and staff about the costs and benefits of renewable energy.



• The May/June issue of Currents newsletter featured an article title "Parking Lot or Power Plant?" that promotes PV shaded parking. In response to the article, LGC received a number of inquiries about the SPIRE program. The same issue included the articles "Solar Homebuilders on the Rise" and "Governor Supports Renewable Portfolio Standard"



• The July/August issue of Currents newsletter focuses on solar energy in California communities. The featured article "California Cities Take a Ride on the Solar Highway" highlights solar projects along the I-80 corridor. This issue also promotes the Vote Solar initiative and the LGC's upcoming conference in Asilomar in September 2002, where energy will be one of the topics.



• The Spring 2002 issue of IREC Connections (Interstate Renewable Energy Council) includes an adaptation of the "Solar Highway" article which promotes the SPIRE program. Copies of this were distributed at the Solar 2002 in Reno, NV in June 2002.



• As of June, LGC has distributed 1,000 hard copies of the SPIRE fact sheet and was downloaded 182 times from their web from April to June 2002.



• On June 10, 2002, LGC convened a Round Table discussion entitled "Developing Sustainable Institutional Structures for Local Energy Programs: A Working Group Session for Local Governments." The purpose of the event was to bring together local government, state and federal government, and representatives from energy organizations to explore different frameworks for institutional energy structures. Participants shared their experience with administering renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.



• From April to June 2002, LGC provided assistance to City of Escalon, City of Chico, City of Tulare, City of Santa Cruz, City of Pasadena, City of Sebastopol, San Mateo County, City of Dublin, City of Parlier, Bolinas Community Public Utility District, City of Sunnyvale, City of Rolling Hills, City of Vernon Utility, City of El Centro, City of Hemet, City of Blythe, City of Tiburon, City of El Segundo, City of Hanford, City of Morgan Hill and Contra Costa County.



• As of June 2002, LGC has provided technical assistance to 50 cities, 11 counties and a total 15 school districts, special districts, and utilities.



• A quarterly report for the months of April to June 2002 was submitted.



• From July to September 2002, the PowerPoint presentation on-line that informs decision-makers and staff about the costs and benefits of renewable energy was downloaded 63 times.



• The July/August issue of Currents included a story titled "California Cities Take a Ride on the Solar Highway" that featured solar projects in the cities of San Francisco, Sacramento, Vacaville, Fairfield, and Davis. A story about the Vote Solar Initiative was also included to provide local governments with a resource for more information on revenue bonds as a means of financing city-wide renewable energy projects.



• SPIRE program marketing materials were distributed at the LGC's Energy Working Group on September 10, 2002 in Sacramento.



• The September/October 2002 issue of the Currents newsletter featured an article "This Renewable House", another grant project funded by CEC's Renewable Energy Program. Additionally, a report conducted for the CEC titled "Buildings Powered by the Sun" was highlighted and another article was featured titled "State's Renewable Energy Reaps Economic Benefits", which describes the economic benefits of renewable energy industry expansion.



• From July to September 2002, the fact sheet was downloaded 123 times from the LGC web page.



• On September 10, 2002, LGC convened a Round Table discussion entitled, "Developing Sustainable Institutional Structures for Local Energy Programs: A Working Group Session for Local Governments". This was the second of the three events. The roundtable explored the need for coordination between state and local government for better energy planning and management.



• From July to September 2002, LGC provided assistance to the following jurisdictions: City of Arcata, City of Berkeley, City of Chico, City of Gilroy, City of Huntington Beach, City of Monterey Park, City of Point Arena, Town of Portola Valley, City of Santa Fe Springs, City of Santa Cruz, and Contra Costa County.



• A Quarterly Progress Report for the months of July to September 2002 was submitted.



• In November, LGC started a comprehensive update of the Renewable Energy Assistance Packet. The third edition will be released in January 2003 and will be available online. From October to December 2002, the REAP was downloaded 146 times from the LGC web page.



• LGC presented an overview of SPIRE program and overview of opportunities for renewable energy generation to a group of 90 planning students at California Polytechnic State University on November 21, 2002.



• The PowerPoint presentation, available both on CEC and LGC websites, was updated on November 25, 2002 to reflect changes in financing and procurement of renewable energy technologies. From October to December 2002, this presentation was downloaded 68 times.



• The November/December 2002 issue of Currents included articles promoting renewable energy: "Energy Commission Funds Residential Wind Power Outreach", "Small Cities Help Residents and Businesses Go Solar" (this article promotes city-sponsored solar programs in Arcata and Sebastopol), and "CEC Forms Renewable Energy Alliance".



• The November/December 2002 issue of Solar Today featured the article "California Local Governments Go Solar" by Peter Asmus.



• The American Planning Association's (APA) December 2002 issue of Public Investment focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency for local governments.



• From October to December 2002, the fact sheet "Innovative Energy Strategies for the Public Sector" was downloaded 120 times from the LGC web page. In December, LGC started to work on a new fact sheet geared toward renewable energy policies that can be implemented at the local level. Anticipated availability is February 2003 and will be posted online.



• The third local government energy network meeting was held in San Diego on November 8, 2002 at the San Diego Regional Energy Office. LGC staff was present and the SPIRE fact sheet was distributed to meeting participants.



• LGC continues to provide technical assistance to local governments. From October to December 2002, the following jurisdictions received assistance: Brawley, Hayward, La Canada, Manteca, Novato, Palm Desert, and Yountville.



• A Quarterly Progress Report for the months of October to December 2002 was submitted.



• In December 2002, LGC requested to extend their project term. The new term extends to April 1, 2003.



• The 3^rd edition of the Renewable Energy Assistance Packet was made available on January 29, 2003 and was e-mailed to over 200 program participants. Through March 2003, the packet has been downloaded 992 times from the LGC website.



• The January/February 2003 issue of Currents included the articles "LGC's SPIRE Project Ending" and "San Francisco Maps its Sunny Spots."



• Another Energy Working Group meeting was held on February 7, 2003 in San Jose. These meetings provided an invaluable forum for local government energy professionals to explore energy planning issues for their communities.



• LGC developed a second fact sheet titled "Local Initiatives Support Clean, Stable Energy Future." 1,500 copies were printed in March 2003 and were also posted on the CEC and LGC websites. LGC distributed the fact sheet through the CEC, Renewable Energy Development Institute, Renewable Energy Alliance, Vote Solar, the Energy Working Group meetings.



• The March/April issue of Currents included the articles "SPIRE Update" that provided a summary of resources available through the updated SPIRE website, and new municipal renewable energy case studies. The issue also included the articles "Renewable Energy Buydown Program Update" and "Update on Exit Fees for Distributed Renewable Energy Systems."



• By April 1, 2003, LGC has provided technical assistance to 88 jurisdictions (Cities, Counties, Schools, Special districts, Utilities) through the SPIRE program.



• A Final Report was submitted in May 2003 which included the SPIRE survey and evaluation. Final invoice was also submitted with a total match leverage of 65% on the CEC budget of $153,423. Project is completed.

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Page Updated: December 10, 2003