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New Rates Impact Solar
When the rules for the California Solar
Initiative were finalized in December, 2006, they
required all solar users to go on a Time of Use (TOU)
rate.
Under TOU,
customers in the Edison territory are charged higher
rates during the peak time of day, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.,
and
lower rates during off-peak. (Under the current
Domestic rate schedule, customers are charged on a
tiered system based on total monthly usage. The
more they use, the higher the cost of that top tier.)
To avoid any surprises, Solar Santa Monica
is working with Edison rate specialists and has
retained an independent rate analyst to develop
accurate program guidelines. Moreover, on April 2-3,
Susan
Munves, City of Santa Monica, and Ted Flanigan,
EcoMotion, met with industry leaders and the PUC
in San Francisco to discuss TOU and other
administrative issues associated with the
CSI.
As rates continue to change, and field experience
grows, rate analysis and system sizing will continue to
be a priority in the program.
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WANTED: RETAIL PARTNERS
Solar Santa Monica is looking for retail stores that
carry appliances, energy efficiency items, home
improvement items. We'll drive traffic to your store if
you can give our participants some sort of special
deal. Call Virginia Nicols at (949) 450-7153 or email your
ideas to start the discussion.
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| Santa Monica Flips the Switch On 181 kW PV System!! |
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On March 27 Santa Monica celebrated the grand
opening of what will be the world's first LEED Certified
Parking
Structure! Located across from City Hall, the structure
boasts roof shade canopies with unusual
see-through Schott solar panels that will generate
clean,
renewable power to offset the City's demand.
Councilmember Kevin
McKeown -- shown above arriving by bicycle -- pointed
out that the parking structure is one
of the first steps toward revitalizing this
neighborhood. "Getting all the cars off the
surrounding fields will give us the chance to move
forward with our plan for new housing and new
recreation areas."
Mayor Bloom and
Councilmember Holbrook threw the switch that started
power flowing
into Edison's grid.
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| On-Site Energy Assessments Begin! |
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View of a typical commercial rooftop. This one
belongs to The Lobster, a busy restaurant
right on the Santa Monica Pier that is considering
solar and efficiency opportunities.
Now that contractors are on board,
the Solar Santa Monica team has started on On-Site
Energy Assessments to come up with
efficiency and solar
recommendations. Each Assessment covers 10
specific areas:
- Energy Usage (bill review)
- Appliances
- Building Envelope
- Electronics
- HVAC
- Lighting
- Solar
- Water Heating
- Water Saving
- Safety
As of April 5, 26 residential and 16
commercial Assessments have
been completed, with more taking place every
week.
 Karen Blechman at electrical
meter of her historic 1908
home.
Harvey Frey on his
rooftop. Note shade trees -- which could impact a
solar system.
Howard Hansen and City Efficiency Engineer Stuart
Cooley inspect water
heater.
Do-it-yourselfer
Toby Michel has set his water heaters up for solar
thermal.
Wendy Walwyn surveys her typical Santa Monica
rooftop -- flat with tile decoration.
If you haven't returned your questionnaire to prompt an On-
Site Assessment, please do so. Click on the link to go
directly to the website.
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| Fees, Permits and Inspections |
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Late last month the Santa Monica City Council
approved a resolution enabling "expedited permitting"
for solar installations. This is in addition to the City's
waiving solar permit
fees.
Installations still have to be approved by the City 's
planning department. First, a
plan for the system must be drawn up, with
specifications for the panels, the circuits, the mounting
structure, etc. After the installation is completed, it
must be inspected to be sure it conforms to the plan.
Solar Santa Monica wants to facilitate this
process! On March 15 it sponsored a Code
Compliance Training for planning departments from
all over Southern California; over 70 people attended
including City staff. Solar Santa Monica plans to work
closely with the City's Building and Safety Division
as the program ramps up.
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| Solar Santa Monica Office Takes Shape |
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Stop by the office at 1212 5th street, and you'll see
some dramatic changes, and not just these new
signs! It's not finished yet, but
ultimately our office will have all the resources you
need to get started on efficiency or solar upgrades.
(Info for do-it-yourselfers, too.)
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| City of Santa Monica, Environmental Programs Division |
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