Here’s Your Chance to Comment on How Cap and Trade Money is Spent

Here’s Your Chance to Comment on How Cap and Trade Money is Spent

The state is offering an opportunity for the public to see and comment on the new 3-year plan for spending the money raised by sale of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission allowances.  These are permits to emit the equivalent of a ton of carbon dioxide. In the past 3-year period about $6 billion in auction proceeds were raised, so this is a substantial pile of money.  Of the total, 60% is earmarked for certain investments by statute, the largest being 25% for High Speed Rail. For the remaining 40%, the legislature has set multiple competing priorities.  The 3-year plans are the way the state intends to balance all these priorities and arrive at a set of allocations. This is the third 3-year plan covering FY 19-20 to FY21-22.

Among the original high priorities was several to advance clean tech: (1) increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy, (2) decreasing dependence on fossil fuels in transportation,  (3) reducing water use., and (6) funding RD&D on innovative technologies. Those are some very favorable categories for clean companies. The state has a lot of people clamoring to get this money, and with each plan the general public gets a chance to have its say.  Once the allocation plan is adopted, then applications for projects that qualify under each allocation are reviewed and funding decisions made. You can get the document here to get an idea of what is being sought.  If you can come up with a project that fits the descriptions in the plan, you might be able to get it funded.  

If you want to make a comment on the allocation decisions you can submit comments electronically until September 14  by following this link.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gary Simon is the Chair of CleanStarts Board. A seasoned energy executive and entrepreneur with 45 years of experience in business, government, and non-profits.

Burning Man displays increased adoption

Burning Man displays increased adoption

Every year 70,000 burners make the trip to the Nevada desert to Black Rock City for Burning Man for the week before Labor Day.  I have gone for the past 4 years. One of the exciting things about Burning Man is the commitment to “leave no trace”–leave the playa as clean and pristine as possible.  Camps, small organized groups within the festival, and burners are always looking for ways to leave no trace by reducing their carbon footprint.

Camps have done this by erecting solar arrays like AEZ and Snow Cone Camp, where they gift their excess PV energy to others instead of selling it to a grid. Energizing the Playa through the abundant power of the sun.

One big change I noticed this year was the increased adoption of electrified personal transit.  Whether it is hub motors on retrofitted bikes or other personal transportation devices like one-wheels (the things with one wheel you straddle).  These have their issues like the obstacles faced with increased personal transit in San Francisco with scooters or Sacramento with Jump bikes. The new personal transit devices this year were a lot faster and are having burners rethink the wisdom of allowing them to roam without speed limits.  Cars and other powered vehicles are limited to 5 mph, but the personal transit devices are not limited. Burners, who go by the “Safety Third” mantra, were accelerating past 20 mph around the playa.

It was a great year. Be sure to check out last year’s post to learn more. 

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses, leadership, financial management and is proficient in working with nonprofits. He has a BS in Finance and a BA in Economics from California State University, Chico. Thomas has a passion for sustainability and a commitment to supporting non-profits in the region.

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ANNOUNCEMENT! More Support for Clean Tech in Region!

ANNOUNCEMENT! More Support for Clean Tech in Region!

Coming to the Greater Sacramento Region is the Center for Alternative Fuels!  They will be working to support and accelerate transportation based  businesses in the region.

Through the provision of a variety of valuable technical services—including a powerful new Fleet Analysis and Optimization process developed by carbonBLU—the Center will help regional municipal and private fleets accurately assess their existing carbon emissions and regulatory compliance; fully understand the economics of conversion to alternative fuels or advanced vehicle technologies; and take concrete steps that will help them measurably reduce emissions, ensure compliance, and save money.

From Waste to Clean Energy For Thousands

From Waste to Clean Energy For Thousands

Energy 2001 Inc. is a relatively small business with an outsize impact in Placer County. It is led by Laura Rasmussen, a successful entrepreneur and business attorney who has taken a lead in moving her community to a sustainable tomorrow. Its base business is to take the landfill gas from the adjacent waste site and turn it into electricity, paying the landfill a royalty for the gas. They feed the gas to six large Caterpillar 3516 engines, each capable of producing 5 MW of power. They have produced more than 183,175 megawatt-hours of electricity since 2004, which is sold to Marin Clean Energy.

Beyond this base business, Laura and her company are very much involved in the Lincoln community and have teamed up with the local students and professors at Sierra College to install solar panels at Energy 2001’s power generation site. By doing so, the students were able to gain the necessary experience to earn certification in commercial solar installation. The collaboration project also helped to progress Energy 2001 one step closer to its goal of a completing a 1 megawatt solar system array. In addition, they have been doing outreach to students in the local schools to educate them on clean energy. The small company of three employees and a motivated leader is doing big things to help impact the local regions energy sustainability with education, community service, and local development of clean technology solutions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CleanStart has a new face supporting the region’s Entrepreneurs.  Renonedo Williams is a CSU Sacramento Mechanical Engineering Student who is the newest intern at CleanStart.   He is entering his final semester at Sac State and is looking forward to connecting with as many clean tech startups as possible and understanding each of their value propositions, to connect his enthusiasm of building things to his goal of being his own boss. Renonedo has a background in design and material selection