City to install solar panels at Carmel Valley Recreation Center

The Carmel Valley Recreation Center will soon play a part in helping the city reach its renewable energy goals as outlined in San Diego’s recently-approved Climate Action Plan as the facility on Townsgate Drive has been tapped for the installation of rooftop and parking lot solar panels.The project has been approved by the Carmel Valley Recreation Council and came before the Carmel Valley Community Planning Board as an informational item on Jan. 28.San Diego City Council adopted its Climate Action Plan in December, which mandates reducing greenhouse gases 50 percent by 2035, more ambitious than Governor Jerry Brown’s goal of 40 percent by 2030.The plan includes five main strategies to reach the reduction of greenhouse gas targets: energy and water efficient buildings, clean and renewable energy, bicycling, walking and transit, zero waste and climate resiliency.James Chen, from San Diego’s environmental services department, said in 2014, the city completed a solar assessment of over 200 city facilities and identified the top 25 sites where solar could be installed to generate approximately 6.6 megawatts. Among the top sites was the Carmel Valley Recreation Center.Chen said the systems will be developed, financed, installed and maintained through a third party power purchase agreement. The city will sign a 20-year agreement with the third party to provide energy at a price lower than SDG&E.The Carmel Valley project includes carport canopies ranging in size from 70 to 100 feet in width over parking lot spaces, as well as 13.2 square feet of roof-mounted panels atop the recreation center building. The system’s 280 kilowatts of solar energy generated will be used to offset 75 percent of the recreation center and pool’s energy usage, Chen said, noting the city will also be looking for ways to be more energy efficient with lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades.“The project will cut down on greenhouse gases and help the city achieve its Climate Action Plan goals to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2035,” Chen said.The proposed project is anticipated to start in spring 2016 and be completed by fall.

City to install solar panels at Carmel Valley Recreation Center

Google to Open New Data Center in Alabama

June 25, 2015 | The New York Times | Quentin Hardy

Plans to take a retired coal power plant in Jackson County, AL into the future were announced today by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The site will house Google’s new data center.

According to The New York Times, Google has also made a deal with the TVA to locate and bring online new renewable energy projects in the area:

 “Data centers are attractive customers” to power suppliers, said Urs Hölzle, Google’s senior vice president for technical infrastructure.

In light of new EPA clean air rules that would require significant retrofits and investment in the Widow’s Creek coal-fired plant, the TVA board of directors approved a closure earlier this year. The new data center project will be ushered in with a $600 million investment from Google. Google has bought significant amounts of renewable energy since 2010.

Earlier this year Inside Energy reporter Leigh Paterson reported on ways data centers are going “green,” explaining that data center energy use is growing: “In 2013, data centers represented more than 2% of total US electricity consumption.” With their intent of re-purposing the existing coal plant infrastructure, Google is no exception.

Google has several data center expansions underway, in the U.S., Singapore and Belgium.

The investment also mitigates risk, according to Google’s Joe Kava, who leads data center construction:

 By having several construction projects underway…the chances of a shortfall in overall capacity from a slowdown at one project were minimized.

The selection of Widow’s Creek came after much research, and is part of a 100% renewable energy goal set by Google.

Google to Open New Data Center in Alabama