MWD’s California Friendly Landscape Program

Energized Solutions (ES) has been selected to provide qualified instructors for the Metropolitan Water District’s California Friendly Landscape Training Program. The Metropolitan Water District is a consortium of 26 cities and water districts and provides water to over 18 million people in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

The California Friendly Landscape Training Program (CFLTP) has been a very popular and successful program and is available to the member districts throughout Southern California. The CFLTP seminars are requested by the member districts and the programs are customized for residents, commercial firms and government agencies. The seminars cover a broad range of topics in water conservation, including landscape design, indigenous plants, xeriscaping and other related subject. ES is committed to developing, supporting, and evaluating sustainable policies and programs and we are very proud to partner with MWD to educate residents, businesses, and local government about what they can do to be “waterwise”. You can learn more about MWD’s programs and resources and those of the member agencies by visiting their sites at: http://www.mwdh2o.com/ and http://bewaterwise.com/

Navigant Heat Transfer System Project

Energized Solutions (ES) is committed to promoting energy efficiency projects, especially those that reduce energy consumption and utilize technologies that are environmentally responsible. ES was recently selected to join the project team lead by Navigant Consulting to help identify potential candidates for the demonstration of the new SpyroCor Radiant Heat Transfer System (RHTS). SpyroCors, which are manufactured by Spinworks, are used in furnaces in the heat treating industry to help reduce gas consumptions on average approximately fifteen percent (15%). ES will use the database of potential candidates in the Southern California Gas Company’s service territory to qualify furnaces that can be retrofitted for this demonstration with the expectation that other Southern California Gas Company heat treating customers will implement this energy conserving technology. 

California is Officially in a Drought

Governor Schwarzenegger Proclaims Drought:

Today, following two consecutive years of below-average rainfall, very low snowmelt runoff and the largest court-ordered water transfer restrictions in state history, Governor Schwarzenegger proclaimed a statewide drought and issue an Executive Order directing immediate state action to deal with the crisis. With increasingly dry conditions statewide, communities are now mandating water conservation and rationing, fire danger has grown, agriculture is facing catastrophic crop losses, urban and rural economies have been harmed due to development restrictions and drought conditions could degrade water quality in some regions. Last month, the final Department of Water Resources (DWR) snow survey of 2008 showed snowpack water content at only 67 percent of normal and the runoff forecast at only 55 percent of normal and conditions continue to worsen across California.

California’s water supply, even in normal conditions, is precarious; Southern California depends on both Northern California and water from the Colorado River to survive. This draught, though, will put even greater pressure on the entire state.

 This makes it even more necessary that all of California’s residents and organizations — homeowners, government agencies, and corporations — take steps to reduce their water consumption and implement more efficient uses of water, such as xeriscaping. 

Energized Solutions Selected to Evaluate Utility’s Distributed Renewable Energy Program

Energized Solutions is a member of the project team lead by RW Beck to conduct an Arizona Public Service (APS) study that evaluates Distributed Renewable Energy Operating Impacts and Valuation.  Other team members include Summit Blue Consulting, Phasor Energy, Arizona State University, and Green Ideas.  Energized Solutions’ John Westerman is the Task Leader for task #1 of the study:  Characterization of DE Systems and Deployment Frameworks.  A public web site for the project has been established.  For more information go to:  http://www.solarfuturearizona.com.

County of Los Angeles Building Retrocommissioning

Energized Solutions is a member of the project team lead by MBO Inc. of San Diego to conduct building Retrocommissioning Services (RCx) on two County facilities with a total building area of more than 850,000 ft².  The project will last for approximately 14 months and include tasks for investigation, equipment operational validation, equipment operational testing, building energy modeling, evaluation of potential energy efficiency measures (EEMs), oversight of EEM installation, system functional performance testing, establishing operational benchmarks for the facility and training of facility operators.  This is the third large RCx contract that the team of Energized Solutions and MBO have been awarded over the last 2 ½ years. 

California’s Delta Crisis

In short, you may have heard that the delta faces a serious risk of total collapse. Why is this delta risk so important to San Diegans and, indeed, all Californians?

The Delta Needs all Californians

California’s water crisis is a critical and growing issue that, unfortunately, is flying under the radar. Let’s bring some attention to it.

Zanjero Musings: 9 Cities, 9 Ideas

Ann Arbor, Mich., and Beijing, China, have precious little in common. But the modest college town and sprawling national capital do share one trait: They’re part of a world-wide movement by cities to rein in their runaway energy use.Ann Arbor is replacing the bulbs in its street lamps with light-emitting diodes that use much less power. Beijing is closing or relocating cement kilns, coal mines and chemical plants dating back to the era of Chairman Mao.Elsewhere around the world, cities are embarking on all sorts of innovative programs to try to corral the amount of energy they consume. Chicago is planting rooftop gardens to cool down its municipal buildings. New York is working with a private company to harness the power of tidal currents in the city’s East River. Amsterdam is using cold lake water to help air-condition homes.

Link  Great article by the WSJ. City government and businesses are taking the lead across the world in being energy efficient and lessening our environmental impact. There are some powerful, innovative ideas here.

SCE Starts Biggest Wind Project in the U.S.

The project will build two new substations in Mojave and Monolith, Ca:

This is the first major transmission project in California being built to access multiple renewable generators, according to a release. When complete the project will be part of a $1.8 billion program to provide the infrastructure necessary to interconnect and deliver the renewable wind resources with California’s electricity customers.

 California Utility Starts Huge Wind Project

A Think-and-Do-Tank: A Greener World

A Think-and-Do-Tank: A Greener World

 ”I’m getting painfully respectable,” Lovins jokes. His mantra: By going green, companies can cut their energy use, turn a profit and help solve global warming by emitting fewer greenhouse gases.In other words, the basic tenets of Adam Smith’s capitalism will fix the problem, without Uncle Sam’s meddling.”The profit motive is probably going to be the most important mechanism in making sure things do work out all right,” Lovins says.Why? “It’s cheaper to save fuel than to buy fuel.” 

A great article on Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, which is quickly becoming the go-to think tank for energy efficiency. Wal-Mart, the Pentagon, and even the White House have been advised by Lovin.It is time for businesses to become more environmentally friendly not only because it is socially responsible, but, as Lovin explains, because it is profitable.

Welcome to the ES Blog!

Welcome!

Here, you will find three things. First, we will periodically write pertinent articles related to water conservation, renewable energy, such as how you can become more water and energy-efficient, the future of the industry, et cetera.Second, each week we will post relevant articles to renewable energy and water conservation so you can stay current on the news.  Third, we will post notes to the public here. We hope you find these helpful. Regards, Kyle