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Taking on the Challenge
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In this issue
New Streamlined Process Makes Solar PV Rooftop Permitting So Much Better
Energy Research and Policy Conference at UC Berkeley Energy Institute at Haas on March 23
Cool Earth Solar and Sandiia Labs Team Up in First Public-Private Partnership on the Livermore Valley Open Campus
Sungevity Receives $125 Million to Expand U.S. Leasing Service
Congratulations to the East Bay Innovation Award Winners!
Workshop Series Educates Professionals, Lenders, and the Public about Solar

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News & Views for March 5, 2013
from the Diablo Innovation Alliance
Welcome to News & Views with information about the activities of the Diablo Innovation Alliance, the business-led initiative to accelerate innovation, manufacturing, and market adoption of clean energy and water technologies in the greater East Bay. Send us your ideas for items and tips to share with other innovators at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter.
New Streamlined Process Makes Solar PV Rooftop Permitting So Much Better
Solar installer
A successful collaboration between the Diablo Innovation Alliance (DIA) and eight jurisdictions within Contra Costa County is expected to result in a streamlined solar rooftop permitting process that will make the permitting and installation of residential and small-commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) systems easier, faster, and less costly for building officials and solar contractors. In addition to the county, the cities signing on to the improved process are Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Martinez, Oakley, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek.

"The Diablo Innovation Alliance has achieved a faster and more consistent permitting process for solar PV in Contra Costa County," said Jason Crapo, Contra Costa deputy director, Building Division, Department of Conservation & Development. "This will help local contractors better serve their customers and help local governments achieve their climate action plan goals."

The participating jurisdictions have been working with area solar contractors and the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA) since February 2012 to develop the streamlined  process, which enables solar contractors and installers to submit permit applications and standard solar PV plans over the counter or online. The process uses Solar FasTrac™, an online portal offering standard plans and worksheets in an interactive PDF format, which was developed with input from local county and city building officials.

"We believe our many initiatives will help reduce market barriers and increase the growth rate of installed solar PV capacity in our region, says DIA Project Manager Gary Craft. "In addition to the eight jurisdictions that actively participated in the development of the streamlined solar permitting process over the past year, we expect to see other cities within the county begin to adopt the new permit processes in order to remain competitive with local communities."

Read all about the new streamlined process in our February 6
press release and review our San Francisco Business Times coverage on our website News page. Contact Gary Craft to learn more.
Energy Research and Policy Conference at UC Berkeley Energy Institute at Haas

The Energy Institute at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley will hold its 18th Annual POWER Conference on Energy Research and Policy on March 23 on the Clark Kerr Campus, 2601 Warring Street, Berkeley. To learn more, visit the conference website. (Early registration discount ends March 15.)
Cool Earth Solar and Sandia Labs Team Up in First Public-Private Partnership on the Livermore Valley Open Campus
Cool  Earth Solar and Sandia execs
Cool Earth Solar CEO Rob Lamkin, left, and former vice president of Sandia's California site, Rick Stulen

Sandia National Laboratories and Cool Earth Solar expect to make solar energy more affordable and accessible, thanks to a cooperative research and development agreement announced February 20. The five-year agreement calls for researchers with Sandia's New Mexico solar energy program to help pilot, characterize, and validate Cool Earth Solar's inflated, concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology.

The Livermore-based company's equipment will be located on a five-acre site known as the Clean Energy Demonstration Field on the Livermore Valley Open Campus (LVOC). The LVOC was established in 2011 by Sandia and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a space for open, collaborative work in such fields as bioscience, cybersecurity, detection technologies, and energy applications. One of Cool Earth Solar's units has already been set up, with dozens more planned over the next five years. The unit is connected to Sandia's power grid, and up to 500 kilowatts of solar power could be provided to the labs by 2018.

See Sandia's and Cool Earth Solar's joint news release and San Francisco Chronicle coverage.
Sungevity Receives $125 Million to Expand U.S. Leasing Service

Oakland-based Sungevity Inc., a closely held developer of rooftop solar PV systems, announced in January that the company had received $125 million in venture capital and project financing to expand its U.S. leasing service. Sungevity installs photovoltaic panels on homes, and its customers pay a monthly fee to lease the systems for 20 years.

Most of Sungevity's 5,000 customers are in California, but the company also has operations in eight other states with a presence in the Netherlands and Australia.

See recent coverage of the solar company's good fortune.
Congratulations to the East Bay Innovation Award Winners!

Eight East Bay companies were saluted for their contributions to the region's culture of innovation as part of the inaugural East Bay Innovation Awards, presented by the East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA) at an awards gala January 31 at the Fox Theater in Oakland. The Diablo Innovation Alliance was a program co-host.

Novartis, an Emeryville pharmaceutical discovery and development company, was honored with the Legacy Award, which recognized its role in growing the biotech industry in the region. Catalyst Award winner was Berkeley Skydeck, an incubator for UC Berkeley-affiliate start-up businesses. The Business and Education Partnership Award was presented to Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals in Berkeley, honored for its groundbreaking business and education partnership with East Bay schools and for nourishing the next generation of scientists. Field-specific winners were Pandora, for Information / Communication Technology; Tesla Motors, Advanced Manufacturing; Ecologic Brands, Clean Technology; Livescribe, Engineering and Design; Penumbra, Life Science; and St. George Spirits, Food.

Nine companies were named finalists, including Adept Technology, Community Grains, Doer Marine, Kiverdi, Inc., Lit San Leandro, Perforce Software, Ekso Bionics, and Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories.

Profiles of all winners were included in a special section of the San Francisco Business Times. More details are available on the East Bay EDA's Innovation Awards website .
Workshop Series Educates Professionals, Lenders, and the Public about Solar
November workshop panelists Steve Padberg, left, of Solar Universe Diablo Valley, James Tong of Clean Power Finance, and Randy Kauffman of NextEnergy

The series of three financing workshops, offered by DIA in November and December 2012 and January 2013, had several purposes: 1) to inform the professional solar community about solar project financing options; 2) to facilitate discussion between lenders and solar contractors and installers about the industry's financing needs; and 3) to offer residential and small-commercial property owners the opportunity to network and build relationships with financial institutions. And judging from the feedback we received, they did just that.

The first Meet the Lenders workshop, held in partnership with the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA) on November 13 at Brandman University in Walnut Creek, was directed at area solar contractors and installers. The workshop offered two panels, the first featuring a panel of lenders, including representatives of Umqua Bank, Belvedere Equipment Finance/Mission Capital, Clean Power Finance, Wells Fargo, and Citibank. A second panel, a discussion among contractors and installers, included representatives of Solar Universe Diablo Valley, NextEnergy and Clean Power Finance.

The second Meet the Lenders workshop for building owners and managers was held on December 11 in partnership with Quick Mount PV and BOMA Oakland/EastBay at the offices of Quick Mount PV in Walnut Creek. Offerings included a legislative update and a panel presentation featuring representatives of Solar Universe Diablo Valley, NextEnergy, Rodda Electric & Solar, SunPower Corporation, Belvedere Equipment Finance/Mission Capital, REC Solar, Wells Fargo and Citibank.

Making Cents of Solar, the third workshop held January 10 in San Ramon, was directed at residential property owners. Held in partnership with Sustainable Contra Costa, Sustainable San Ramon, the Contra Costa Association of REALTORS and Green Remodel Forum, the event offered an overview of reasons to choose solar and specifics about government rebates and tax incentives, and financing products.

Stay tuned for future information sessions and other DIA activities.

DIA thanks Umpqua Bank and Wells Fargo for their sponsorship of the first workshop.

About the Diablo Innovation Alliance: The DIA is a business-driven initiative of the Contra Costa Economic Partnership focused on emerging clean technology sectors that will drive regional economic growth and job creation in the greater East Bay. The Contra Costa Economic Partnership is an association of business, education, and public sector leaders dedicated to creating and retaining quality jobs in the greater East Bay to maintain the region's economic vitality and quality of life.

For more information, visit  www.diabloinnovationalliance.org and follow us on Twitter. To comment on items in this newsletter, please contact Linda Best or Terry Shoaff at (925) 246-1880.

� 2013 Diablo Innovation Alliance
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