Sector Strategies 2013年度報告書 2013年5月 1. 報告書 1.1.気候の変化とAB32実施状況 気候変化とAB32の実施委員会は5月16日に公聴会を行い、気候の変化が州にもた らすリスクとその対策の進捗状況について議論を行った。カリフォルニア州は全米 でも先進的な対策をとっている州であるが、その他の州も省エネやRPSの政策を実 施し始めている。またAB32の実施を監督しているカリフォルニア州大気資源局の よると2020年の温室効果ガス排出削減の期限に向けて、カリフォルニア州は少しず つ排出削減に成功しているとのこと。
Source: ARB Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting (MRR) Data for In-State Facilities
1.2.CECによるAlternative and Renewal Fuels and Vehicle Technology Program最新情報
カリフォルニアエネルギー委員会は2013-2014年のグリーンな車や代替燃料の開発
と利用の普及を支援するための投資計画を可決。同委員会のAlternative and
Renewable Fuels and Vehicle Technology(ARFVT)Programに約1億ドルの資金提供を確
定した。これによりブラウン知事による2020 年までにカリフォルニア州で100万台、
2025年までに150万台のゼロエミッション車の普及させることを目標とするゼロエ
ミッション車アクションプラン関連のプロジェクトにも資金が提供される。
2. カリフォルニア州政策情報
2.1. 自動車メーカーがEPAの低エミッション・ゼロエミッション車の販売義務に申立て
米国自動車工業会 (Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers) と米国の国外メーカー団体 (Association of Global Automakers) は2013年3月、カリフォルニア州による2025年ま
との要請に対し、環境保護庁（U.S. EPA）に異議申し立てを行った。カリフォルニア 州はゼネラルモーターズ、フォード、クライスラー、トヨタ、日産、ホンダ各社は 2014年までに6万台の電気自動車、プラグインハイブリッド車、燃料電池車の販売 義務を課せられており、2018 年までにはこの義務はヒュンダイ、キア、ダイムラー、 フォルクスワーゲン、BMWとマツダにも販売義務が拡大する見通し。 2.2. カリフォルニア州議員が揚水貯蔵をFlexible Capacityとして利用することを検討
California Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committeeは4月15日に州のエネルギー関 連機関に対し、揚水貯蔵を再生可能エネルギーを導入拡大のために活用する可能性
について検討することを可決。CPUCに対し、現存する揚水貯蔵施設が再生可能エネ
ルギーの導入拡大を受けてHelms、Balsam、Meadow、Oroville、CastaicとSan Luisに ある揚水貯蔵施設を電力網運営のためのリソースとして利用できるかどうかを検討 するように要請した。実現すれば新たに建設が必要になる発電所の数は減るものの、 揚水施設の第一の目的は安定して水を供給することであるので、各水道局からは反 対意見も出ている。 2.3.カリフォルニア州ゼロエミッション車規制の影響 USA Todayの記事によると、自動車メーカーがゼロエミッション車販売のための動 きについてインタビューをされたところ、各社とも複雑な状況であることがわかっ た。全米でたった一州（カリフォルニア州）において定められている要請のために 小型電気自動車を生産し、メディアなどからの注目は集まるものの、実際のセール スは伸びず、売れた場合にも販売によって損失が出るという状況にあるメーカーも 多いとのこと。 2.4. ゼロエミッション車市場拡大における地方自治体の役割
California’s ZEV Action Planによると、地方自治体は電気自動車の充電ステーションや
水素ステーションの設置に向けて努力を続けており、設置許可発行プロセスの合理 化や各コミュニティの公共交通機関ネットワークとの兼ね合いを考慮したプランの 作成などを行っている。このような地方自治体による動きはゼロエミッション車の 販売推進に一役買っていると言えるだろう。 2.5. カリフォルニアエネルギー委員会、改定されたRPSガイドラインに沿うエネルギー 貯蔵、EVプロジェクトに資金提供 カリフォルニアエネルギー委員会は4月30日に再生可能エネルギープログラムガイ ドブックの改定を認証。RPSに適格かどうかのガイドラインについても一部改定し ている。バイオメタンガスを利用している施設に関してはランドフィルガスか汚泥 消化ガスである場合にはRPS適格とされる。また再生可能エネルギー施設に設置さ れるエネルギー貯蔵システムに関しても、エネルギー貯蔵自体は再生可能とはいえ ないものの、再生可能エネルギーから発電した電力を蓄電するしていれば、RPS適
格と成るのではないかとの考え。CECは軍事施設に設置されている150kWの太陽光
発電設備と250kWから300kW規模の圧縮空気エネルギー貯蔵プラントの組み合わ
せで実証実験を行うサンフランシスコのベンチャー企業Foresight Renewable
Solutionsに170万ドルの資金提供を行った。
2.6.カリフォルニアエネルギー委員会とPG&E、サンノゼ市の蓄電池プロジェクトを公開
CECとPG&EはYerba Buena Battery Energy Storage System Pilot Projectを公開。電力網 からの需要が低いときに蓄電し、需要が高くなったときにその電力を電力網に送り 出すというもの。不安定な再生可能エネルギー源導入の拡大への対応や、電力の質 の向上、信頼性の向上などに貢献できる可能性がある。このプロジェクトでは4MW のナトリウム硫黄電池を使用している。 2.7. カリフォルニア公益事業委員会、電力会社のデマンドレスポンスプログラムを強化 カリフォルニア公益事業委員会(CPUC)はサンオノフレ原子力発電所の廃炉を受け、 電力会社のデマンドレスポンスプログラムを変更することを認証。この発電所の運 営はSCEが行っており、SDG&Eにも若干の影響があるとのこと。SCEは2014年まで
にデマンドレスポンス容量を58MWまで拡大することを目標とし、いくつかの商業
施設用プログラムを一つにまとめるなど変更を加えていく予定。 2.8. AB32による第3回Cap and Tradeオークションの結果
5月のオークションでは2013年の排出枠が$14.00で約1400万枠、2016年の排出枠
は$10.71でやく750万枠が販売された。
3. 米国西部関連情報
3.1.PacifiCorpとCal ISOはEnergy Imbalance Marketで提携
カリフォルニア独立系統運用機関（CAISO）はFERCに対し現存のリアルタイム市場
を変更･拡大しPacifiCorpにEnergy Imbalance Marketサービスを提供することを申請。
CAISOはこの契約は2013年7月1日から開始となり、地域全体に大きな経済的効果
と信頼性の向上をもたらすとしている。試算によると、年間2140万ドルから1億
2800万ドルの経済効果が得られるとのこと。
3.2.ネバダ州議会、石炭発電所の停止を進める
ネバダ州のCommerce, Labor and Energy Committeeは5月17日、石炭発電所の停止 を促進する議案を可決、同時にネバダ州公益事業委員会の規制権力を低下させる方
針。石炭発電所停止による発電容量の損失を埋めるため、電力会社に対し550MW
の天然ガス発電所と350MWの再生可能エネルギーによる発電所の建設が要請され
る可能性がある。
Southwest Energy Efficiency Projectは5月15日、コロラド州にプラグイン電気自動車 を支援する政策に関して最高点を与えた。ワイオミング州が採点された6州の中で 最低得点を獲得。コロラド州はプラグイン電気自動車を推進する政策と最高$6,000 の税額控除で総合評価A-を獲得。アリゾナ州とユタ州がB-で続き、ネバダ州はC、 ニューメキシコ州はC-、ワイオミング州はプラグイン電気自動車に対するインセン ティブがないためFの評価となった。
3.4.カリフォルニア州のCap and Tradeプログラムがケベック州と連結
カリフォルニア大気資源局はカリフォルニア州とカナダのケベック州がCap and
Tradeプログラムで2014年1月から提携することを可能にするための規制変更を認
証。これによりカリフォルニア州とケベック州は排出枠オークションを共同で行い、 購入された排出枠は両州どちらにおいても有効となる。
3.5. ニューメキシコ州天然ガス車ステーションの展開が難航
ニューメキシコでガスの流通を行うNew Mexico Gasは車両向けの天然ガスステーシ
ョンにガスの輸送ラインを伸ばすためには、まず規制とコストの問題を解決しなけ ればならないとした。同社はガソリン車と同等の時間の長さでガスを補充できるス テーションを開発したい意向をニューメキシコ公益事業委員会に提出しているが、 ガス補充のスピードを上げるためには、高圧ガスラインを新たに引く必要があり、 それを行うコストは非常に高い。また、新しい顧客は現存の顧客の経済的負担を増 やしてはならないという公益事業委員会からの規制のため、ガスライン建設のコス トは新しい顧客の間で分担されなければならない。結果としてガス補充のスピード を下げることにならざるを得ず、それではビジネスとして確立するのが難しい、と いうことになる。
3.6. Sempra US Gas and PowerとConEdison Developmentが太陽発電で提携
SempraとConEdisonはSempra U.S. Gas and Powerの太陽発電施設であるラスベガス 近郊のCopper Mountain Solar 2（150MW）とフェニックス近郊のMesquite Solar 1
（150MW）において事業提携を行うことで合意した。両社とも50%ずつ両施設の権
利を持つことになる。施設の運用は引き続きSempra U.S. Gas and Powerが行う。
NEDO POLICY Report
May 2013
INDEX
Reports
Page 1
California Policy Update
Page 5
Western Region
Page 13
Conferences, Workshops and Meetings
Page 20
1.
Reports
a.
Select Committee on Climate Change and AB 32 Implementation - Protecting Californians from Climate RisksThe Select Committee on Climate Change and AB 32 Implementation hearing on May 16th covered both the mounting risks of climate change in California and the progress toward mitigating them. Secretary of Natural Resources John Laird in testimony explained that while the impacts of global warming are already being felt in California -- with droughts, loss of snowpack and an extended wildfire season-- if we don’t prepare and adapt, climate-related costs will continue to mount. Fortunately, California has the policy measures in place to curb emissions and help lower the costs associated with extreme weather and climate change.
Experts also testified on the linkage between greenhouse gas emissions and negative health impacts. Their testimony noted that although carbon dioxide is the largest contributor to climate change, other greenhouse gases like black carbon and methane threaten both the climate as well as the quality of the air we breathe. Poor air quality puts communities at risk for asthma and other respiratory problems, low birth weights, heart attacks, and lung cancer. Many of the greenhouse gas reduction measures in AB 32 that target vehicle, power plant, and other industrial emissions sources simultaneously address both climate and health impacts for the state.
A National Perspective
To put California‘s progress in context, the hearing highlighted action beyond our borders. While California has led the rest of the nation on climate policies, other states have been moving forward as well. For example:
Half of the nation’s states now require utilities to invest in energy efficiency
programs that help customers use less energy and lower their utility bills. California has been a leader on energy efficiency for decades.
Twenty-nine states have adopted Renewable Portfolio Standards requiring a
minimum percentage of power from clean energy like wind and solar. California has the most aggressive standard in the nation, but other states are quickly catching up. In the Midwest, Iowa’s largest energy company, MidAmerican Energy, just
announced plans to invest $1.9 billion to build an additional 1 gigawatt of wind power by 2015, which will produce electricity to power roughly 250,000 homes. In the Northwest, Washington recently ratcheted down its Emissions Performance
Standard (EPS), which limits the amount of pollution from power plants.
Washington’s EPS is now 12 percent tighter than the current California standard making it the most ambitious in the nation.
Carbon Trading Beyond California
Cap-and-trade, a policy tool that gradually decreases the number of carbon pollution permits that are available to large emitters, is an important element of achieving AB 32’s goals. California’s program launched in January and continues to gain momentum, holding its third auction in May 2013. The Senate committee looked at developments in carbon markets beyond California’s borders. The nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states within the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) recently affirmed their commitment to cleaner power by voting to reduce their carbon emissions cap on the power sector by 45%. Across the globe, China is poised to launch seven regional pilot emissions trading programs it plans to link together in 2020 In total, China’s programs will surpass California’s as the world’s second-largest carbon market, after the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme. Progress on Reducing Emissions
Mary Nichols, chairman of the California Air Resources Board (ARB) that oversees implementation of AB 32, closed the hearing by providing a summary of California’s progress toward reaching its 2020 emissions reduction goals. As the chart below shows, there has already been a steady decline in emissions between 2008 and 2011 from facilities releasing the highest levels of pollution in the state.
3
Source: ARB Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting (MRR) Data for In-StateFacilities
The Report concludes that, “As we move closer to meeting AB 32’s emissions targets,
California is upholding its position as a national leader in climate policies. In fact, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) – the federal government’s energy statistics agency – just this week ranked California in the Top 5 both for lowest emissions per capita and carbon intensity. To stay ahead of the curve, California must continue to move forward and build on its strong foundation of clean energy and climate leadership.”
The Senate Select Committee Report can be found at:
http://seecc.senate.ca.gov/sites/seecc.senate.ca.gov/files/AB%2032%20Select%20Commit tee%205-16-13%20Background%20Memo.pdf
b.
Energy Commission Approves New Alternative and Renewable Fuels and Vehicle Technology Program Investment Plan UpdateThe California Energy Commission recently unanimously adopted the 2013-2014 Investment Plan Update to support the development and use of green vehicles and alternative fuels. The update sets funding priorities for the approximately $100 million in annual state funds under the Commission's Alternative and Renewable Fuels and Vehicle Technology (ARFVT) Program, created by Assembly Bill 118.
"This investment plan provides a solid foundation for the continued transformation of California's transportation sector," said Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. Funding priorities through the ARFVT Program support fuel and vehicle development to help attain the state's climate change policies. In addition, the program funds projects that assist in fulfilling Governor Brown's Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Action Plan, with a target of installing enough infrastructure to support 1 million ZEVs by 2020, and a 2025 target of having 1.5 million ZEVs on the state's roads.
Investments made through the program's competitive solicitation process provide a crucial jump-start in funding to overcome market barriers for new fuels and technology, while leveraging additional investment from federal agencies, research institutions, private investors and other stakeholders.
The AFRVT program funds projects to encourage the development and use of new technologies and alternative and renewable fuels, including electricity, natural gas, biomethane, hydrogen, and gasoline and diesel substitutes, such as cellulosic ethanol (derived from woody materials, including agricultural waste), and biodiesel from waste grease. Funding sources include small surcharges on vehicle and vessel registrations, and license plate and smog abatement fees. Notably, many of these fees are set to expire in 20115-16 and legislation is pending to extend the expiration dates into the 2020’s.
The program is a critical part of California's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, as required by AB 32; decrease petroleum fuel use to 15 percent below 2003 levels by 2020; increase the use of alternative fuels to 26 percent of all fuel consumed by 2022; and reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides to 80 percent of 2010 levels by 2023 to help meet federal ozone standards in areas of California such as the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast air basins.
Currently, the state's transportation sector accounts for nearly 40 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, and more than 95 percent of all transportation energy consumed in California is petroleum-based.
Among the ARFVT Program's achievements to date:
Awards have leveraged more than $450 million in additional private and public investment.
More than 5,750 Californians have received job training.
Approximately 5,400 short- and long-term jobs have been created through funded projects.
More than $390 million has been awarded to more than 220 projects.
Supporting alternative fuels and vehicle technologies that can displace more than 375 million gallons of petroleum fuel (equivalent to removing 1 million or more cars) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 2.7 million metric tons by 2020.
Funding for more than 7,150 electric vehicle charging points, creating the largest charging network of any state.
Laying the groundwork for the largest hydrogen fuel cell vehicle fueling network in the country through funding of 17 hydrogen fueling stations.
Applications for close to $1.5 billion for nearly 400 projects beyond available funding attest to the need for - and interest in - the program.
The investment plan update was developed with the input of the ARFVT Program Advisory Committee, stakeholders and the public. This new update covers the fifth year of this innovative program, which is unique to California.
The 2013-2014 Plan update allocates $100 million to projects in the following areas: $23 million for biofuels production and supply, with an emphasis on fuels made
from waste-based and other low-carbon, sustainable materials.
$20 million for hydrogen fueling infrastructure. An estimated 68 stations are needed to support the anticipated rollout of these vehicles in 2015-2017. Roughly 24
stations are built or in development.
$15 million for medium- and heavy-duty electric truck and hybrid vehicle demonstration projects.
$12 million for natural gas vehicle incentives. These incentives help to pay the difference between the cost of alternative-fuel vehicles and conventional vehicles. Buyers must agree to register and operate the vehicles in California at least 90 percent of the time for three years.
$7 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, coordinated to fulfill the Governor's ZEV Action Plan. Workplace, fleet and multi-unit dwelling projects will be given priority.
$5 million for light-duty plug-in electric vehicle rebates to meet high demand for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, administered by the California Air Resources Board. $5 million for manufacturing projects, supporting economic development and clean
5
$4 million to emerging opportunities. This allocation is not specifically tied to anysingle fuel or technology type, with a priority for projects that can leverage federal funding.
$3.5 million for regional alternative fuel readiness and planning, building on previous projects supporting these efforts.
$2 million for centers for alternative fuels and advanced vehicles to support collaborative efforts that promote innovation, demonstrate new technologies, leverage venture capital and federal funds, and provide workforce training. $2 million to workforce training and development.
$1.5 million for natural gas fueling infrastructure to support growing use of these alternative fuel vehicles by many entities, including school districts.
http://www.energy.ca.gov/2012-ALT-2/
2.
California Policy Update
a.
CARB Chair Challenges Automakers on EPA Petition.The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March 2013 to block California’s requirement that 1.4 million electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles be sold by 2025. California, the largest U.S. auto market, is requiring General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Chrysler Group LLC, Toyota Motor Corp. Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. to sell a combined 60,000 plug-in, battery-electric and fuel-cell cars in the state through 2014. By 2018, the state’s zero-emission vehicle rules will likely extend to Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp., Daimler AG, Volkswagen AG, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Mazda Motor Corp.
However, the Chair of the California Air Resources Board is not accepting the lawsuit quietly. California’s ZEV Regulations and the Advanced Clean Cars Initiative are commonly considered Board Chair Mary Nichols highest personal priority. Her commitment as well as The Governor’s commitment to ZEV’s is very strong. Bloomberg reports that a speech delivered by Chair Nichols in April 2013, accused automakers of undermining the progress they’re making in expanding the market for electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles by petitioning against California’s mandates.
“Talk about shooting yourselves in the foot, or maybe I could say, tripping over your own halo,” Mary Nichols, chairman of the California Air Resources Board, said at SAE
International’s World Congress. “Rather than rehashing the same, tired legal battles of our past, why not work together to collectively support and develop this market?” (As cited in Bloomberg, April 2013)
California is requiring automakers to sell more than 1 million of the vehicles that generate little or no greenhouse- gas emissions through standards that are followed by more than a dozen states. The state last year established rising annual targets for zero-emission vehicles toward a goal of reaching 15 percent of its new-car sales by 2025.
Bloomberg further noted that, “Compliance with California’s standards depends “almost
entirely” on consumers buying “high-technology vehicles in substantial numbers,”
Annemarie Pender, a spokeswoman for the Association of Global Automakers, wrote in an e-mail to the news agency.
“Automakers hope that consumers will buy zero-emission vehicles in large volumes, but so far, sales have been lower than necessary to meet California’s aspirational goals,” Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, wrote in an email to Bloomberg “It serves no one, not the state economy or consumers or automakers, to have these vehicles sit unsold on dealer lots.”
According to the Bloomberg article, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Mazda and Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz are all members of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The Association of Global Automakers, also based in Washington, counts Honda, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia among its members.
The text of Chair Nichols’ speech can be found at:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/2013/mdn_sae_address_4_16_13.pdf
b.
CA Lawmakers Consider Legislation to Authorize Pumped Storage for Flexible CapacityThe California Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee on April 15th passed a measure requiring energy agencies to assess the potential of pumped-storage facilities to help
integrate renewables. AB 1258 from Assm. Nancy Skinner (D-Oakland) would require the CPUC to determine the potential for existing hydro and pumped-storage facilities in the state to be used to provide additional operational flexibility for integrating renewables. The bill would apply to five pumped-storage facilities in the state—Helms, Balsam Meadow, Oroville, Castaic and San Luis.
“If we had the capacity to utilize stored generation, where water can be moved uphill and stored, then deployed at peak moments, that could potentially lead to less construction of [gas-fired] peaker plants,” Skinner said.
The CEC’s Integrated Energy Policy Report is a good place to look at this issue, said V. John White, legislative director of the Clean Power Campaign, in testimony in support of the bill. But a number of water districts and public utilities oppose the bill, saying it could impact the mission of the State Water Project, which is to ensure safe and reliable water delivery. Some of the facilities the bill specifies supply water through the SWP.
“The primary purpose of the State Water Project is water delivery, not power generation,” said Kathy Cole, executive legislative representative with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California testifying in opposition. In spite of the opposition, the committee passed the bill 15-0.
c.
California’s Zero Emission Vehicle Policy Sets a National Standard - Status Report
In a recent USA Today article, ZEV manufacturers were interviewed on the status of their efforts to sell or promote ZEV’s in the US auto market. According to the article, automakers are in the uncomfortable position of building mostly at a loss a class of small electric cars that garner a lot of attention but few sales just to satisfy rules imposed by one state, California. As a result, they've acquired the name "compliance cars." They include electric versions of such familiar models as the Chevrolet Spark, Honda Fit and Toyota RAV4. The conclusion that ZEV market penetration is primarily accomplished by “compliance vehicles” is not reflected in the many reports and statements issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on this topic. As noted in the recently released ZEV Action Plan,7
“As a result of these collective actions, our state’s ZEV market is poised for major new growth. Auto manufacturers now offer a range of attractive light-duty plug-in electric vehicles, including many manufactured by California companies. Two automakers offer light-duty fuel cell electric vehicles for consumer lease and several others have placed FCEVs in fleets.”CARB staff would in fact be pleased to accept credit for any advances in the ZEV market. This is reflective of the commitment to ZEV’s of not only staff and CARB members but of the Governor as well.
While it is true that many ZEV’s are being produced primarily or solely to meet California's mandate that large automakers sell a percentage of zero-emission cars in order to sell traditional cars in the state. Under California’s rules, hybrids and natural gas cars aren't considered clean enough, and hydrogen fuel-cell cars are still a ways off, so battery cars are the quickest way to comply. Thus, automakers must not just build but also sell the cars to satisfy California's regulations; the automakers are adding discount sales and lease deals to ensure they can move the vehicles.
According to the USA Today article, limiting losses on the cars, not making a profit, has become the carmakers' initial goal. Though the automakers have taken different approaches to their electric cars, what the cars have in common is relatively high sticker prices
compared to conventional versions, even after most buyers qualify for up to $7,500 in federal tax incentives and often substantial state or local government subsidies.
Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said his company would limit production of the electric Fiat 500e because it will lose $10,000 on each. "Doing that on a large scale would be masochism to the extreme," he said.
The Fiat 500e, at $32,500 before subsidies, is almost twice the price of the base model of a conventional base Fiat 500, but the company has discount-lease and other plans to add to government subsides and cut the final cost.
The California rules apply to automakers that sell at least 60,000 vehicles a year in the state, which means the Detroit makers, plus Toyota, Honda and Nissan.
Analisa Bevan, sustainable-technology chief for California's Air Resources Board, says 10 other states also will adopt California's zero-emission mandate.
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, whose company makes the Model S sedan, says he doesn't feel threatened by the increased electric competition in California. "Those are very tiny sales." Nissan says it’s happy with overall Leaf sales as it passes the 25,000 mark since its late 2011 launch. "The adoption curve for EVs is accelerating, and we're seeing tremendous interest not only on the West Coast but in a number of new strongholds," says Erik Gottfried, electric vehicle marketing director.
Some automakers are trying to straddle the line. Ford says, for instance, that its $39,200 Focus electric is being sold at select dealers in all states except Wyoming and West Virginia. Even at that, Ford sold 566 through April this year, compared with 84,455 conventional Focuses.
Toyota only plans to make 2,600 RAV4 EV using an electric powertrain supplied by Tesla. Honda will make only 1,100 Fit EVs over three years and will only lease them.
But automakers balk at the term "compliance car," because they say engineers went far beyond what is needed to comply.
Major Electric Vehicles for 2013 Ford Focus Electric
Sales started in California, but Ford says it can be bought at select dealers in 48 states now. Starting price is $39,200 before delivery charges, or it can be leased in many states at $249 a month. It gets the gas mileage equivalent of 105 miles per gallon.
Chevrolet Spark EV
When it goes on sale this summer in California and Oregon, Spark EV will have a rated range of 82 miles and efficiency of 119 MPGe. Price hasn't been announced.
Fiat 500e
Going on sale this summer, the electric version of the subcompact 500 is expected to be rated at 116 MPGe and get 87 miles per charge. It will be sold only in California and priced at $32,500 but has a subsidized lease deal that puts the monthly payment on par with the gas version.
Nissan Leaf
Leaf stands out as not only the first modern electric car from a major automaker, but also one that was intended to be sold in all states, not only in a few for regulatory reasons. It's priced at $28,800 and gets 115 MPGe.
Toyota RAV4 EV
The $49,800 SUV is the only one of the bunch, with the powertrain supplied by Tesla. Sold only in California., some 2,600 are being built through 2014. It has a range of 103 miles and gets 76 MPGe.
Honda Fit EV
The Fit EV is sold in California, Oregon and New York. Some 1,100 are being made over three years. It isn't sold but only leased for $389 a month. It gets 118 MPGe.
* Source: USA Today
d.
Local Governments Begin to Play a Key Role in CA ZEV Market Penetration According to the California’s ZEV Action Plan, local governments have facilitated plug-in electric vehicle charging and hydrogen stations in their communities, streamlined permitting processes for new infrastructure and planned how ZEVs will operate within their local transportation networks. Now it appears that local governments are also taking a proactive role in subsidizing ZEV sales.For example, Southern California cities and the South Coast Air Quality Management District are proposing to give cash to people who buy electric cars. These two entities are launching
9
a $13 million, two-year program to subsidize the lease of up to 60 new all-electric cars. Anyone leasing a Nissan Leaf, for example, would get between $100 and $125 per month rebate, lowering one's monthly car payment to no more than $100 a month. Plus, they will throw in free charging and free parking."Free parking? And charges for free! It is the best deal. You can't commute for less than that," said Richard Mrlik, president of Intertie, an energy-consulting firm based in San Francisco hired by the city of Industry. The two governmental entities suddenly find themselves in the car business and they are dealing.
"The EV lease program is designed to stimulate electric transportation in the L.A. basin," Mrlik, President of Intertie, an energy-consulting firm stated in a recent LA Times article. "The objective of the program is to show commuters they can commute at a lower lifecycle cost using electric transportation, vis a vie internal combustion. "
Although applicants will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis, Mrlik said, those who say they are carpooling will be moved to the front of the priority list. Also, owners can only get the free charge at the Industry Metrolink station, 600 S. Brea Canyon Road, near Walnut. Third, they must leave the car for charging and hop the train to work.
In the six-county region of Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), a 16 percent reduction in greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide and methane, is required by 2035 despite the arrival of 4 million more people. SCAG Director Hasan Ikhrata called the Industry subsidy program "a win-win project that provides models for Southern California's future," and added: "The city of Industry has developed a multipronged approach that benefits drivers, the transit system and alternative energy. "
Industry is adding another 32 charging stations to the parking lot, which already is equipped with 8,000 solar panels on 940 carports. Surplus energy is sold to Southern California Edison.
A survey attracted more than 28 customers - the initial target of the first phase - but
Industry and its partners could accommodate 60 new electric cars, Mrlik said. He said it is a matter of running conduit to double the number of EV charging stations to 64, something that can be done in a week's time. "We could expand it up to 500 vehicles at full
deployment," he said.
Applicants are being sought through the upcoming website industryev.com. The site is not yet operational but may be up by the end of the May 2013.
e.
CEC Funds Energy Storage, EV Projects, Adopts Revised RPS Guidelines The CEC at an April 30th business meeting adopted revisions to its renewable-energy program guidebook and its renewables portfolio standard eligibility guidebook to clarify RPS eligibility guidelines and to implement new legislation. With the adoption, thecommission also lifted a suspension it enacted last March related to out of state biomethane use, to allow time to assess the RPS eligibility of biomethane as a result of the passage of SB 1X 2,the 2011 law raising the RPS to 33 percent.
RPS eligibility requirements for facilities using biomethane were clarified in last year’s AB 2196, and the seventh edition of the CEC’s RPS eligibility guidebook implements that law. A facility that uses biomethane is RPS-eligible if the biomethane is derived from landfill gas or digester gas. Facilities that use biomethane produced either on-site or off-site and sent to the facility via a dedicated pipeline are eligible. For facilities that use biomethane delivered via a common-carrier pipeline, AB 2196 requires that the biomethane in the pipeline physically flow within or toward the generating facility that secured the biomethane contract. The seller or purchaser of the biomethane also has to demonstrate that the capture and injection of the biomethane results in at least one of three specified
environmental benefits for the state. The CEC has included in the RPS eligibility guidebook additional requirements for biomethane contracts executed before March 29, 2012. The revised eligibility guidebook also adds a section on energy storage to clarify eligibility requirements of storage systems at renewable-energy facilities, and expands sections on renewables tracking and verification and renewable- energy credit reporting and
retirement requirements, said Kate Zochetti, technical program lead for the RPS program in the CEC’s renewable-energy office.
The RPS guidebook notes that while energy storage systems are not inherently renewable, they can store energy from renewable-energy systems for use later, and in such cases, the resulting electricity may be eligible to produce renewable-energy credits.
Not everyone was happy with the changes. Randy Howard, director of power-system planning and development at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, cited language related to procurement contracts prior to 2010 and concerns related to distributed solar. LADWP is unhappy with energy metering requirements now in effect that call for plus or minus 2 percent accuracy in order to be counted toward RPS procurement requirements. “The cost of going out and changing those meters on those existing systems—many of them have been installed for a number of years—is not a good use of ratepayer money nor a good use of utility resources,”
Howard said. He asked the CEC to reconsider that requirement. All new meters will conform to the new requirements, he said, but LADWP would like to continue to be able to count a number of meters that have the old configuration. Howard also asked the commission to reconsider a requirement that RECs be retired in the year they are generated. LADWP would rather have a system that enables utilities to use RECs on a seasonal basis. The commission also approved almost $4 million in research funding, including a $1.7 million award to Foresight Renewable Solutions, a San Francisco startup. Foresight will demonstrate an aboveground 250 to 300 kW compressed-air storage system paired with a 150 kW solar-photovoltaic array at an existing military facility. Air will be compressed into aboveground tanks packaged in standard shipping containers, and can then be used to generate electricity when needed to help with electrical demand at the facility. The project goal is to demonstrate intermittency management, peak load shaving, load shifting and the ability to operate independently or in connection with the grid, according to CEC
background material on the agreement. Ultimately, the demonstration project is expected to allow the facility to achieve greater levels of energy security using renewable energy,
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The agreement includes $1.2 million in match funding. In addition to batteries and pumped hydro, compressed- air energy storage (CAES) is one of the few currently viable energy-storage solutions around. But it has not been broadly deployed, in part because the technology is limited by geography and scale. Enter LightSail Energy, a Berkeley startup backed by Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, Total Energy Ventures and others. LightSail has developed a modular isothermal CAES technology. Foresight will use the LightSail technology; LightSail is acting as a subcontractor to Foresight under the terms of the CEC agreement.The advanced, patented technology uses tanks and pipes (rather than large underground caverns, as in other CAES applications), meaning that more or less storage can be added depending on need, according to the company. Even with advances the company has made, CAES faces barriers including insufficient field-testing and demonstrations, unproven capital and cost estimates, and lack of customer knowledge about the technology. The LightSail technology will be installed at the Expeditionary Warfare Center’s Mobile Utilities Support and Equipment facility at the U.S. Naval base in Ventura County. One of the project’s goals is to demonstrate how storage technology can help maximize renewable-energy penetration in the base’s microgrid, with a greater goal to “create a model
community-scalehybrid renewables/storage/microgrid configuration that can be replicated across a broad range of communities while reducing utility costs,” and creating a more stable grid, according to the CEC.
f.
PG&E, Energy Commission Unveil Battery Energy Storage in San JosePacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and the California Energy Commission recently unveiled an innovative battery energy storage system pilot project to better balance power needs of the electric grid (according to a PG&E Press Statement).
The Yerba Buena Battery Energy Storage System Pilot Project charges batteries when demand is low and then sends reserved power to the grid when demand grows. The system has the potential to provide important services for balancing energy supply and demand, helping to support greater integration of intermittent renewable generation as well as improving power quality and reliability for customers.
"Battery storage holds tremendous promise in helping electric utilities like PG&E enhance the overall reliability of an ever-changing energy supply," said Greg Kiraly, PG&E's senior vice president of distribution operations. "This pilot project will provide critical, real-world data on the technical and financial performance of battery energy storage to help us
understand how battery storage devices can serve PG&E's customers and the overall electric grid."
The project was made possible thanks to a $3.3 million grant from the Energy Commission to PG&E that will help fund the installation and evaluation of the system.
This smart grid project is a utility-scale sodium-sulfur battery energy storage project. It has a 4 megawatt capacity, and can store more than six hours of energy.
PG&E is working in close coordination with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to study how sodium-sulfur battery energy storage can improve power quality and reliability, support greater integration of intermittent renewable power, and supply energy to
California's electricity market, overseen by the California Independent System Operator. EPRI's reports will be made available to the public.
g.
CPUC Boosts Utility Demand-Response ProgramsAccording to a CPUC press release he CPUC this week approved changes to utilities’ demand-response programs to help mitigate the outage at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The 2,300 MW nuclear plant was taken off line in early 2012 after a
steam-generator tube in one unit leaked reactor coolant and steam-steam-generator tubes in both units showed significant wear. Southern California Edison is the operator and majority owner of the plant; San Diego Gas & Electric owns a minority stake.
The CPUC’s Energy Division late last year had requested DR program changes before summer 2013. SDG&E responded by seeking to change its Demand Bidding Program, which offers incentives to nonresidential customers to reduce energy use and demand during specific DR events, to a day-of, 30-minute trigger product. SDG&E also asked to issue a request for proposals to expand the use of load-control technologies; increase funds for the Community Partners Initiative in order to expand outreach to SONGS-affected areas; and eliminate the Peak Time Rebate program for small commercial customers.
Edison sought to increase DR capacity by up to 58 MW by 2014. Changes include
consolidating some commercial programs of the Summer Discount Plan into a single year-round program with a new economic based trigger, shorter anticipated event durations and fewer cycling options. The Summer Discount Plan involves a day-of air-conditioner cycling program— with remote-controlled devices installed on air conditioners— for residential and commercial customers.
Proposed changes also included increasing Summer Discount Plan enrollment through targeted marketing; increasing incentives in the Auto Demand Response Technology Program; increasing community- based outreach efforts; performing studies of emerging technologies; and expanding the Save Power Day Program to include a day-of reminder and larger incentives. The program gives residential bundled service customers a bill credit to reduce energy use during event-day afternoons.
h.
AB 32 Third GHG Auction ResultsThe Air Resources Board (ARB) held its third auction of greenhouse gas allowances (GHG) on May 16, 2013. The auction included a Current Auction of 2013 vintage allowances and an Advance Auction of 2016 vintage allowances. Prior to the certification of the auction, ARB staff and the Market Monitor carefully evaluated the bids, and determined that the auction process and procedures complied with the requirements of the Cap-and-Trade Regulation. As provided below, the Market Monitor made the following determination:
“The Market Monitor found that the auction was cleared consistent with the auction clearing rules in the regulation and appropriate economic logic. The Market Monitor confirmed the auction results, based on the data available. The Market Monitor confirmed the clearing price and clearing quantities by participant for the auction for 2013 and for the auction for 2016 vintage allowances. The Auction Administrator reported that the 2013 auction clearing price is $14.00 per allowance, with 14,522,048 total 2013 allowances sold.
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The Auction Administrator reported that the 2016 auction clearing price is $10.71 per allowance with 7,515,000 total 2016 allowances sold. The Market Monitor confirmed that the 2013 auction-clearing price is $14.00 per allowance and that the 2016 auction-clearing price is $10.71 per allowance. The Market Monitor confirmed the cleared quantities assigned to individual participants by the Auction Administrator were consistent with the regulation logic involving tiebreakers and the random allocation of residual allowances in both auctions and therefore that the total volumes cleared are correct. The auctionalgorithm correctly applied the regulation requirements covering the bid guarantee and the tiebreaker constraints. The Market Monitor did not observe any breaches of security or communication protocols. The Market Monitor recommends that ARB approve the May Auction results”
In the Current Auction of 2013 allowances, there were no violations of the holding limits, purchase limits or bid guarantee for any Submitted Bids at or above the settlement price. For bids below the settlement price, bids for 12 lots (12,000 allowances) would have been rejected for exceeding the bid guarantee if the auction had settled at the Auction Reserve Price. The bids rejected for violating the bid guarantee were not included in the calculation of the statistics reported for “Qualified Bids.” All of the rejected bids were below the settlement price, and consequently had no impact on the determination of the settlement price. No bids were rejected in the Advance Auction of 2016 vintage allowances.
http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/capandtrade/auction/may-2013/results.pdf
3.
Western Region and Other State Activity
a.
PacifiCorp, Cal-ISO Sign Energy Imbalance Market DealAccording to Cal-ISO, PacifiCorp and Cal-ISO have filed with FERC an implementation agreement explaining how the grid operator will extend and modify its existing real-time energy market to provide energy imbalance market (EIM) service to PacifiCorp.
In its April 30 filing, Cal-ISO asked FERC to make the agreement effective July 1, 2013, so PacifiCorp’s participation “may proceed without delay” [ER13-1372]. “Such an EIM has the potential to produce signif icant economic and reliability benefits for customers throughout the region,” Cal-ISO said in its transmittal letter. The ISO has estimated that annual benefits range between $21.4 million and $128.7 million, depending on how much real-time transfer capacity is available.
Meanwhile, the PUC EIM Group, which is composed of Western commissions, has asked the Northwest EIM group to consider the impacts of joining the Pac-ISO tariff. The Cal-ISO-PacifiCorp implementation agreement is structured to enable participation by other entities. The EIM would be an improvement over the energy imbalance service utilities currently offer under their respective open-access transmission tariffs, Cal-ISO said.
Replacing these provisions with an automated market in multiple balancing authority areas would allow participants to get imbalance energy from “a far greater pool of resources.” The implementation agreement sets out five milestones, starting with a “detailed project management plan” on July 1, 2013 and a “full network model expansion” on Dec. 6. Trading would begin Oct. 1, 2014.
Cal-ISO estimates it will cost $18.3 million to configure its system, including five-minute dispatch, to function as an energy imbalance market available to all Western Electricity Coordinating Council balancing authorities. About $10.8 million of the total is for software licenses, with another $2 million for data storage. PacifiCorp will pay a $2.1 million non-refundable implementation fee “through five specific milestone payments” for its share of the costs.
Cal-ISO and PacifiCorp made the FERC filing even as other efforts to explore regional EIMs in the West proceed. The Western Electricity Coordinating Council launched an effort in 2010, as did the Western Governors’ Association in 2011 (the “PUC EIM Group”). The
Northwest Power Pool’s 22-member Market Assessment and Coordination Committee (MC), co-chaired by Pacific Power CEO Pat Reiten and Bonneville Power Administrator Bill
Drummond, released a market-benefit study of its proposal in early April and are working on a “following reserve assistance program” that would have a “long-term potential to integrate into [an] EIM structure.” The footprint analyzed in the market study included PacifiCorp’s control areas, but the group is currently working to quantify how much lower the benefits would be without PacifiCorp. When PacifiCorp and Cal-ISO in February announced their memorandum of understanding to work towards the implementation agreement, Reiten stated that PacifiCorp is unlikely to join more than one EIM and that once it signed the agreement, PacifiCorp would be pretty well “committed to go down” that path. The agreement includes a set of “key principles.” One states that the EIM will be organized in a manner “that is compatible with the Northwest Power Pool reserve sharing program and other existing and emerging market initiatives, including FERC Order 764,” which mandates that transmission providers offer intra-hourly scheduling to reduce the risk that variable- resource producers will be subjected to unjust or discriminatory imbalance charges.
Nor will the Pac-ISO initiative deter the MC’s work. PacifiCorp is at liberty to work with Cal-ISO “and I can understand why they would,” said Bill Gaines, CEO of Tacoma Public Utilities and co-chair of MC’s EIM governance subcommittee. “But the rest of us are still working with the NWPP construct, so I don’t think people are paying attention to the
Cal-ISO,” except to the extent that the ISO has made a proposal where it would merely operate an EIM that parties in the Northwest “would define and own.” The MC is trying to find a governance structure for a “Northwest-centric EIM,” Gaines said, though his
subcommittee has been on “hiatus” for a few months to allow work on market design and cost/benefit analyses to progress. “Market design and governance are interdependent,” he noted, “so we are just now starting to get governance work started back up.”
Montana Public Service Commissioner Travis Kavulla, chair of the PUC EIM Group, said “there is one camp that would say” filing of the agreement has “re-ordered the regional discussion, but I don’t think that is the case. The MC’s modeling results “are still going to be worthwhile.” But he said the lack of discussion on the “crucial” matter of governance has been frustrating: “So far that hasn’t happened.” Cal-ISO’s lengthy straw proposal devotes only a few pages to governance, Kavulla noted, and the level of participation from Northwest players at Cal-ISO’s recent stakeholder meeting in Folsom was “anemic.” Only three of the 16 comments Cal-ISO received on the design straw proposal were from the Northwest.
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Instead, people have this “California gut check” whereby the “mere mention of the name of the state is enough to send people over the edge.” Many people equate it to “talking about Social Security benefits to a group of senior citizens. So many people instinctively perceive it to be a third rail.“It has yet to be described to me why the governance problem is sointractable,” Kavulla said. It seems “counterintuitive. The whole point of creating an EIM is to promote inter-utility cooperation and to prevent balkanization. I have a hard time seeing multiple EIMs” as the product of the work being done in the West.
The Cal-ISO straw proposal includes a “market operator model” that is “not controlled by a board appointed by [California Gov.] Jerry Brown,” Kavulla noted, but would allow for oversight by a body independent of the Cal-ISO Board of Governors. Most organized
markets, such as the Midwest ISO and PJM, have “regional state committees” where various government stakeholders advise a regional transmission organization or, as in the case of the Southwest Power Pool, where the regional committee itself has direct authority to file tariffs.
The reality is that it would be cheaper to “bolt on” to the Cal-ISO platform than to create something from scratch, Kavulla said, “and that could be a make-or break option.” Kavulla signed an April 26 letter on behalf of the PUC EIM Group to Reiten and Drummond asking the MC to continue its work but to consider the impact of joining the Pac-ISO EIM, but Gaines said the MC is unlikely to do so.
In its comments on the design straw proposal, the PUC EIM Group asked that technical issues affecting potential EIM participants outside California be clarified in coming revisions to the draft. Cal-ISO has an ongoing stakeholder process to design the EIM and establish market-governance rules. A revised draft of the straw proposal is due May 30th.
b.
Nevada Legislature Draws Heat on Bill to Cut Coal, RegulationThe Nevada Senate Commerce, Labor and Energy Committee late May 17 voted to move a bill that would accelerate the retirement of coal-fired power plants—and at the same time strip the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PCUN) of some regulatory powers. Some of the state’s most powerful interests lined up on opposite sides of the measure, SB 123,which is sponsored by Sen. Kelvin Atkinson (D-North Las Vegas), Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D-North Las Vegas) and Assm. David Bobzien (D-Reno).
In a joint statement Friday, Gov. Brian Sandoval and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called for passage of the bill, which now moves to the full Senate for a vote.
Last month NV Energy persuaded lawmakers to amend SB 123, creating deadlines for shutting down the coal-fired, 557 MW Reid Gardner Generating Station and for selling the company’s 11.3 percent ownership interest in the coal-fired, 2,250 MW Navajo Generating Station.
Under a third amendment to the bill introduced Friday, the utility would be required to build 550 MW of natural gas-fired power and to add 350 MW of renewable energy to offset the capacity loss at Reid Gardner and Navajo. Despite Gov. Sandoval’s support for the
legislation, the PUCN on May 15 voted 3-0 to oppose it. The commission objected to sections in the bill that would limit its regulatory control over utility rates, utility construction and the acquisition of power plants and renewable-energy facilities. PUCN Chairwoman Alaina Burtenshaw said the inflexible requirements of the bill could create problems for
referring to the utility. But the commission did support the bill’s proposed requirement for a comprehensive plan to shut down coal-fired power plants.
Nevada Power has obtained only 17 MW of customer-owned renewable distributed generation since 2007. The provision would also mandate that NV Energy, a regulated monopoly, compete with small businesses that install solar panels on customer roofs, said Anne-Marie Cuneo, director of regulatory operations. “We’re creating more of a monopoly with less regulation. That’s horrible for ratepayers,” Commissioner Rebecca Wagner said before the latest amendment passed.
Even the reduced renewables component of the bill would be good news to renewable-energy advocates, who fear NV Energy otherwise will need no more renewable renewable-energy to meet the state’s renewables portfolio standard. A graph prepared by Western Resource Advocates shows that NV Energy has enough credits to exceed the RPS every year between now and 2025, when the RPS reaches 25 percent of total retail sales.
As it stands, powerful state interests and advocacy groups are lining up for and against the bill powerful state interests and advocacy groups are lining up for and against the bill. Timothy Hay, the former Nevada consumer advocate and a former utilities commissioner, on May 16 said he formed the Nevada Consumer Protection Alliance to oppose the bill. Members of the group include former Nevada attorney general Frankie Sue Del Papa, the Retail Association of Nevada and the Nevada Women’s Lobby.
“The bill was outrageous,” Hay said. Hay, who ended his term as chief of the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection in 2005, doubts the Legislature will pass SB 123 in its present form. NV Energy was trying to negotiate terms more acceptable to casinos, said Dan Jacobsen, technical staff manager for the Bureau of Consumer Protection. The bureau is opposed to the bill. Casinos, among the largest power users in Southern
Nevada, were also opposed to previous versions of the bill, but several casino operators and the Nevada Resort Association, a trade group, told the energy committee Friday that they supported the bill with the latest amendments.Like other businesses, casinos want to minimize power expenses so they can increase profits. SB 123 would mandate that Nevada Power make huge capital expenditures on new generation and transmission, which would likely raise rates.
Also in support of the bill is the Sierra Club in Nevada. However, “we have had concerns about how [SB 123] interfaces with oversight from the PUCN,” Sierra Club lobbyist Joe Johnson told CEM. The club likes the commission’s decision to advocate early retirement of coal-fired plants, he said. Longtime Nevada political analyst Jon Ralston likes the chances for the bill’s passage. “The bill has too much juice not to pass,” he told subscribers of his Ralston Reports.
c.
Colorado Plug-In Car Policies Are Best Among Six Western StatesThe Southwest Energy Efficiency Project on May 15 gave Colorado the top grade for public policies supporting plug-in electric vehicles. Wyoming received the lowest score among the six Western states ranked. Colorado garnered an A- for a dozen policies that promote PEVs, including tax credits of up to $6,000.
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Arizona and Utah came next with B- grades. Nevada got a C, and New Mexico a C-. Wyoming scored an F because it has no PEV incentives. Arizona offers eight policies that support PEVs including a $75 tax credit for installation of a car charging outlet in a residence. Also, PEV owners pay lower registration fees and may use high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Arizona. Nevada has six policies that promote PEVs. Electricity is not subject to Nevada’s motor fuel tax. Also, state and local governments in high-population areas must use alternative-fuel vehicles, which include PEVs, for 90 percent of new fleet vehicle purchases.New Mexico offers tax credits of up to 5 percent of qualifying expenditures for
manufacturers of PEV and hybrid electric vehicles. But the state has no financial incentive promoting purchases of PEVs
d.
State Links Cap-Trade Program With Quebec’sThe California Air Resources Board has approved amended regulations that allow the state and the Canadian province of Quebec to link their respective cap and- trade programs beginning in January 2014. Under the linkage rules, which the board approved on April 19th, California and Quebec will hold joint quarterly allowance auctions, and carbon allowances and offsets issued by the jurisdictions can be used for compliance purposes in either program.
“This is an historic step for California as well as for our partners in Quebec,” said CARB Chair Mary Nichols. “It’s a clear recognition that the danger we face in climate change, that is, the danger that we are experiencing even now in a variety of ways, rises above national, state, or provincial boundaries.” The linkage has been in the works for almost five years and entailed extensive coordination to ensure the cap-and-trade programs in the two
jurisdictions were compatible and provide benefits of a larger program to covered facilities, CARB noted.
The board was set to finalize the linkage last June, but had to hold off following the passage of SB 1018, which provided that proposals to link to other jurisdictions on cap and trade must be subject to review by the governor to ensure the programs are equally rigorous. The green light to link with Quebec came by way of an April 8 letter to Nichols from Gov. Jerry Brown, in which he confirmed that the linkage proposal meets the standards put forth by the Legislature. The letter states that the governor’s decision to move forward with the linkage was supported by a legal analysis done by Attorney General Kamala Harris.
“Linking is unlikely to lead to any significant liability because Quebec will follow rules that are as stringent as California’s,” the governor’s letter states. Citing findings by the attorney general, the letter also observes that “because of the comparable rigor and structure of the two programs, acceptance of Quebec allowances or offsets will not be the source of a failure associated with linkage.” Between now and Jan. 1, when the link will become effective, CARB and the Quebec Ministry of Environment will test and evaluate their auction platforms and trading systems to ensure compatibility and readiness, CARB is to report to the Governor’s Office by Nov. 1 on these efforts, and whether any impediments have emerged.
“As in California, Quebec’s cap-and-trade program is also an economy-wide program that covers the largest greenhouse-gas emitters and electricity importers,” stated Sean Donovan, an air-pollution specialist at CARB. There are about 80 regulated entities in Quebec’s
program, compared to about 350 in California’s. The covered sectors are the same in both programs.
The development of a regional target for reducing GHG emissions, and a market-based program to reach the target, was the goal of a 2007 agreement signed by the governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. The agreement served as the basis for the formation of the Western Climate Initiative. Today, California is the only U.S. state remaining in the WCI, along with British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, which adopted a cap-and-trade program in December 2011 and, like California, began the compliance phase in January of this year. “This is the kind of program that is not meant to be run by and for one state or even one country alone.
It needs to be something that will entice and involve others,” Nichols said. “So it’s really tremendously gratifying that we had found at least at this point one very brave and effective jurisdiction that wants to be part of our efforts and, of course, we will be part of theirs as well”.
e.
New Mexico Utility Sees Difficulties With Natural Gas Vehicle StationsNew Mexico Gas, a local gas-distribution company, in a regulatory filing April 15 said it must solve regulatory and cost issues before extending gas transmission lines to natural gas fueling stations for vehicles. The company made the comments in response to a decision of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission in February to review NMG’s gas extension policies and their effect on businesses that want to convert gasoline-powered vehicles into natural gas-powered vehicles.
NMG said it would like to enable businesses to establish natural gas fuel stations for “quick fills” of cars and trucks with natural gas within three minutes demand on a natural gas system. A medium-sized compressed natural gas facility sometimes would require the same amount of gas as 30 medium-sized hotels at one location “but does so on an unpredictable schedule,” NMG said. The natural gas stations can be built next to existing high-pressure lines if those lines have the capacity required, the company said. But the cost of laying a high-pressure line for a vehicle fuel station can make a project uneconomical for NMG even if the customer pays a large portion of the cost, the company said.
Furthermore, Rule 16 of the NMPRC states that new customers should not create a burden on existing customers and that new customers must provide additional revenue to support incremental costs, NMG argued. Therefore, the natural gas stations must use slower
pumping equipment to minimize changes in the gas distribution system. But slow-fill
facilities are less likely to provide effective service for large fleets of natural gas vehicles, the company said.
In addition, NMG reported the failure of a predecessor, Gas Company of New Mexico, with a five-year experimental program that the commission approved in 1993. The program was designed to encourage conversion of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles to natural gas, NMG reported, but the program cost $32 million and the utility “lost millions of dollars.” A federal requirement to convert federal and state vehicle fleets to natural gas was not enforced, and that dampened demand for natural gas vehicle fuel, the company said. In 2004, the NMPRC permitted the company to sell most of its fueling stations to Clean Energy Fuels, in which T. Boone Pickens owns a 21 percent interest. NMG said 14 natural
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gas stations in New Mexico now sell natural gas for use in vehicles and 10 companies have proposed stations. But 17 natural gas stations have closed. NMG sells gas to natural gas fueling stations for 5 cents/therm, a discount from the 15 cents/therm for other small commercial customers, according to the company.f.
Sempra U.S. Gas and Power and Consolidated Edison Development (ConEdison Development) Announce Solar PartnershipSempra and Consolidated Edison reached an agreement to partner in two of Sempra U.S. Gas and Power's solar power facilities, the 150-megawatt (MW) Copper Mountain Solar 2 plant near Las Vegas and the 150-MW Mesquite Solar 1 power plant near Phoenix. Under the sales agreement, each company will own a 50-percent interest in the two solar facilities, which are among the largest photovoltaic plants in the U.S. Sempra U.S. Gas and Power will continue to provide operations and maintenance services to both plants. "This strategic partnership bolsters Sempra U.S. Gas and Power's ongoing plan to improve its financial returns, deconsolidate debt and redeploy the proceeds from the transaction into new renewable growth projects," said Kevin C. Sagara, vice president of renewables and corporate development for Sempra U.S. Gas and Power.
"We look forward to partnering with Consolidated Edison Development to continue operating world-class solar facilities that supply clean, emission-free electricity to our customers, and to capitalize on our shared view of near-term growth opportunities." "This transaction provides ConEdison Development with the opportunity to work with an outstanding partner while we expand our presence throughout the United States," said Mark Noyes, vice president of ConEdison Development.
"We are partnering in two strategic renewable assets, both with strong project fundamentals, and advancing our commitment to growth in the renewable energy marketplace."
Construction on Mesquite Solar 1, located in Arlington, Ariz., began in 2011. Power from the facility has been sold to Pacific Gas and Electric under a 20-year contract. Mesquite Solar 1 generates enough clean electricity for about 56,000 homes. The project created 528 local construction jobs at the peak of construction and 10 long-term positions.
Phase 1 of Copper Mountain Solar 2 is complete and is currently generating 92 MW of clean solar power. When the second phase is fully constructed, expected in 2015, the project's total operating capacity will be 150 MW. Power from the facility has been sold to Pacific Gas and Electric under a 25-year contract.
In September 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Program Office awarded Mesquite Solar 1 a $337 million loan guarantee that enabled it to build this innovative photovoltaic plant, one of the largest in the U.S. The agreement is subject to approvals from the U.S. Department of Energy and regulatory agencies. Those approvals are anticipated in the second half of 2013. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.
4.
Conferences, Workshops, and Meetings
CEC IEPR Workshop on Preliminary Electricity and Natural Gas Demand Forecasts 2014-2024
May 30, 2013 - 10:00 a.m.
CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION
1516 Ninth Street, Hearing Room A
Sacramento, California
The California Energy Commission Lead Commissioner on the Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) will conduct a workshop to explore a range of perspectives on the future of end-user energy demand in California over the next 10 years. Staff from the Energy Commission and load-serving entities (LSEs) will present and discuss their respective 10-year forecasts of electricity consumption and peak demand and, where appropriate, end-use natural gas consumption. Energy Commission staff will also present details regarding treatment of potential energy efficiency, self-generation and climate change impacts on demand.
CEC Staff Workshop on Challenges to Procuring Biomethane in California March 31, 2013 - 9:00 a.m.
California Energy Commission 1516 Ninth Street
Hearing Room A Sacramento, California
California Energy Commission staff will conduct a workshop to assess the challenges
to biomethane procurement in California and the potential solutions. This workshop
will focus on the requirements of Assembly Bill 1900 (Gatto, Statutes 2012, Chapter
602).
Energy Commission staff is seeking input from stakeholders, industry
experts, and the public to identify challenges that limit the procurement of
biomethane in California. Public input from this workshop will inform the
development of the 2013 Progress-to Plan for the Bioenergy Action Plan. Although
this is a staff workshop,
CEC Staff Workshop on Status of Bioenergy Development in California JUNE 3, 2013- 9:00 AM
CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION 1516 Ninth Street
First Floor, Hearing Room A Sacramento, California
California Energy Commission staff will conduct a workshop to discuss the status of bioenergy development in California and the challenges in developing bioenergy. Public input from this workshop will inform the development of the 2013 Progress-to-Plan for the Bioenergy Action Plan. The Energy Commission is seeking input from stakeholders, industry experts, and the public on possible recommendations to address challenges to development of bioenergy. Biomethane challenges will not be discussed at this workshop.
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CARB Board HearingZEV Regulations - Minor Amendments September 26-27, 2013
Byron Sher Auditorium Sacramento, CA
The Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) staff is developing a proposal for minor modifications to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Regulation. Minor modifications include clarifying the Section 177 state optional compliance path provision, defining how caps apply to a manufacturer’s requirement, and excluding battery swapping as a “fast refueling” technology. A one-day workshop to discuss staff’s proposed
Sector Strategies 2013年度報告書
2013年7月
1. 報告書
1.1.Southern California Edison (SCE)によるプラグイン電気自動車充電に関するレポート SCEは電気自動車の�