Nature or nurture?  There is no doubt that the innovation gene is prevalent in San Diego.  However, a strong case can be made for San Diego’s environment of collaboration as the dominant force for success in technological creation.  Two new resources announced within the last two weeks support that argument. 

Calit2 Federal Funding Portal @ CONNECT

The enormity of the funds originating from Federal programs and grants is both an opportunity and a problem.  The smart people of UCSD have automated the process and are collaborating with CONNECT to make the resource available to local innovators and entrepreneurs.  Working with the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) CONNECT has developed a new set of tools to help member companies and local entrepreneurs identify federal research funding opportunities.  Click here to access Calit2 Federal Funding Portal @ CONNECT.

The X Lists

Last week Xconomy rolled out the X Lists, “the region’s best resource for innovators and entrepreneurs”.  Much of the entrepreneurial process is about accessing information and identifying people who have answers as efficiently and quickly as possible.  The X Lists are a great place to begin the journey from not-knowing to knowing.  Click here for Bruce Bigelow’s description of this valuable resource.

The overused words-of-wisdom about real estate are location, location, location.  Maybe the same should also be said about entrepreneurial innovation.  The cornucopia of resources available at the San Diego location provides a winning advantage to those who seek to grow their enterprise through innovation.

In his blockbuster best seller of 2008, “Hot, Flat, and Crowded” Tom Friedman describes “the astonishing expansion of the world’s middle class through globalization” which challenges our planet’s capacity to provide for the basic elements of food, air and water.  Simply, the rest of the world wants what we have and they want it now. 

Less walking:

China is now the number one car market in the world.  First time buyers account for 70% of purchases in China.  On the other hand, the auto fleet in the United States is shrinking. For the first time since World War II, more used cars were scrapped than new cars sold in 2009. 

More talking:

The number of mobile phone subscriptions worldwide is projected to reach 5 billion this year.  Ten years ago only 10% of Russians had a cell phone.  Today there are more Russian cell phone accounts than there are Russians.

Looking and feeling marvelous:

In five years toothpaste consumption in India has increased by over 40%.  Cosmetics maker Avon Products saw Latin American sales rise 29 percent while North American sales fell 7 percent during the most recent quarter.  South Korea is the leading consumer of Spam outside to the United States.  Over 40 percent of the Spam sold in South Korea is in the form of gifts and it is the only country in the world that sells Spam in boxed gift sets.

OK.  The Spam item is silly, but the point is that there are significant changes in global consumption which are happening at an alarming rate.  The politicized arguments about global warming have become distractions to the indisputable fact that a larger global population is consuming at an ever expanding rate.  On this we all agree.  The solutions which address this all consuming consumption are the same as those put forth to address global warming.  Let us focus on those truths we all support and acknowledge that this planet is not too big to be permanently ruined by man.

On Wednesday the second CleanTECH San Diego Showcase event: WIND POWER – Leading the Renewables Revival was held at the Marriott in La Jolla.  After the active networking session the 240 attendees heard Jim McDermott, Managing Partner of US Renewables Group, give the opening presentation followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Jim Walker, Vice Chairman, Board of enXco, Ian Gardner, CEO of Helix Wind, James Sahagian, VP for commercial development with Sempra Generation and Steven DeWolf, principal of Wind Tex Energy LP.

McDermott noted that wind power represents about 75% of the renewable energy produced in the United States.  Currently wind is a close second to natural gas for newly installed production capacity.  Like all projects which are capital intensive, wind power construction suffered with the collapse of credit markets.  Some deals are now being done, but on more conservative terms.  Key hurdles continue to be the on-again, off-again government support in the form of tax credits and loans as well as the onerous delays caused by environmentalists. 

Intermittency is the renewable energy term to describe the uneven production of power by both wind and solar.  Dr. Walker stated that as wind power becomes a larger portion of total energy production it should be considered part of the base load with natural gas as the go-to energy to fill in the gaps.  He noted that the bulk of wind energy production in the United States is concentrated in a short list of utilities.  Except for the very largest users, most utilities struggle with understanding how to manage an intermittent supply.

Although the established global wind energy market is huge, the panel felt that it was not mature and therefore there were significant opportunities for new business creation and growth.  Their opinion was that there were vast improvements which will be made in blade design and the mechanics of wind turbines.  They felt that there was a great opportunity for innovation and invention to originate from outside the research departments of the large manufacturers.  As the number of wind turbines proliferates they see an opportunity for companies in the “nuts and bolts” aspects of service and maintenance in a more organized manner than currently exists.

Energy storage in its various forms is a response to the problem of intermittency as well as integral part of an effective smart grid.  James Sahagian said that Sempra Generation has a strong interest in compressed air strorage in spent oil and natural gas wells as a viable means to store energy during those times when wind energy production is greater than immediate demand.

Critical to the success of any regional technology cluster is the presence of an engaged legal community.  The rapidly expanding roster of clean technology companies in San Diego has the benefit of a strong base of intellectual property legal talent which has served our life science and high tech hubs for more than a generation.  Like every other aspect of local technology advancement, our institutions of higher education have provided intellectual stimulus.  Recently the University of San Diego School of Law began publication of the San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law.  This is the first academic law journal in the United States dedicated to addressing the challenges surrounding both climate-change and energy law issues.  Volume 1 includes eleven articles in 344 pages.  Click here for the table of contents. 

 The University of San Diego’s Second Annual Climate & Energy Law Symposium will be held on April 9, 2010.  The program will explore various regulatory approaches being proposed and adopted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Click here for the agenda and more information.  The symposium is co-sponsored by the Energy Policy Initiatives Center (EPIC) and the San Diego Journal of Climate and Energy Law.

From the iconic Italian novel, The Leopard, comes the insight, “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.”  If innovation is to remain the fuel for the economic engine of the United States then the process of innovation will have to change.  Duane Roth, CEO of CONNECT, supports a new paradigm for innovation which emphasizes a “distributed partnering model” with a focus on advancing products rather than companies.  This parsed approach would concentrate talent, capital and intellectual property in a manner which would potentially have greater efficiency and less risk, and therefore be easier to finance.  The old model of huge, fully integrated companies would be replaced by entities distinctly concentrated in the product functions of discovery, definition, development and delivery.  Coincidentally, San Diego has scores of companies which would be very happy to see this innovative approach to innovation blossom. 

Recently Roth contributed an Insight & Opinion article for the Xconomist Forum.  Click here to read Addressing the Innovation “Valley of Death:” It’s the Products, Stupid!

 You can also check out the paper authored by Roth and Pedro Cuatrecasas of UCSD presented by the Kauffman Foundation. 

 The press release from the Kauffman foundation is here.

By GUEST AUTHOR Lee Barken, IT practice leader at Haskell & White, LLP

With southern California in the midst of thunderstorms and tornado warnings, attendees at the 6th Annual Clean-tech Investor Summit listened intently to conference chair Ira Ehrenpreis remind the audience that “we choose Palm Springs as the conference location for the past 6 years because of the wonderful weather here.” 

Despite the cancellation of 3 speakers due to weather related travel problems, the January 19-21 summit convened over 400 industry professionals to reflect on 2009, opine on 2010 and network with piers.

Networking, as it turns out, was a major attraction for attendees.  As one Private Equity managing partner said to me: “I’m here to meet up with colleagues and see old friends.”  Another popular theme, as shared by one clean tech company exec I met: “We’re here to look for funding.”

Flipping through the conference attendee list (provided to all participants) reveals an eclectic mix with concentrations in two communities: Capital Providers (Venture Capital, Private Equity) and Read the rest of this entry »

By GUEST AUTHOR Lee Barken, IT practice leader at Haskell & White, LLP

While President Obama drew 48 million viewers for his State of the Union address, another noteworthy – albeit quieter – presentation was being made across town at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  The SEC, not particularly known for its marketing prowess, used the same day that Obama took the podium to announce that the SEC commissioners had voted to approve the release of interpretive guidance on financial disclosures related to climate change.  

In what might be characterized as the pin drop heard around the world, the SEC highlighted four areas where climate related disclosures may be required:

• Impact of Legislation and Regulation
• Impact of International Accords
• Indirect Consequences of Regulation or Business Trends
• Physical Impacts of Climate Change 

Science and Environment Commission?

 SEC Chair Mary Shapiro was quick to point out that the interpretive guidance is not an official position on climate change.  “We are not opining on whether the world’s climate is changing, Read the rest of this entry »

The CleanTECH San Diego Showcase presents WIND POWER: Leading the Renewables Renaissance Wednesday, February 10_^th at the La Jolla Marriott.  Keynote speaker, Jim McDermott, Managing Partner of US Renewables Group, will discuss the wind market and strategies for buyers, sellers and new market entrants.  US Renewables Group is one of the largest investment firms focused exclusively on the renewable energy industry with $750 million of capital commitments.  Following Mr. McDermott’s remarks will be a panel discussion featuring regional wind developers and technology companies including Dr. Jim Walker Vice Chairman of enXco and the CEO of Helix Wind, Ian Gardner.

In addition to enXco and Helix Wind, there are 22 other wind power companies listed in CleanTECH San Diego’s database of cleantech companies include Cannon Power, Knight & Carver and Padoma Windpower. 

The networking hour before the CleanTECH San Diego Showcase is a unique opportunity to get face to face with the captains of industry, futurists, venture capitalists and propeller heads who play in the clean tech space.  Click here to make your reservation.

By Lee Barken, IT practice leader at Haskell & White, LLP

It’s a balmy 67 degrees in San Diego and I’m back home at my local coffee shop, sipping Chai Tea Latte.  A short 24 hours ago, I was in the snow and bitter cold of Copenhagen, Denmark, attending the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) climate summit.

For two brief weeks, people from around the world had been gathered to discuss how carbon emissions are affecting our environment.  Despite a failure to sign a major agreement, the victory of the conference has been its ability to focus world attention on climate change issues.  COP-15 has captured the public’s interest, raised awareness and energized ordinary citizens into action.

Acknowledging the gravity of climate change is a difficult task to consider as I sip a tasty beverage in the comfort of my shorts and t-shirt.  Perhaps the single largest challenge for reducing carbon emissions is to convey a sense of urgency to those who are the least affected.  Has our Read the rest of this entry »

Not only has Lee Barken provided us with a daily report from the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, he also provided those of us suffering the heat in San Diego with a video interview and a photo montage of events in Copenhagen including the Bright Green Conference. 

Click here for video interview:

Click here for photos:

By Lee Barken, IT practice leader at Haskell & White, LLP

As we begin the final day of the Conference of Parties (Cop15) climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, the grueling hours and stressful conditions are surely taking their toll on official delegates. It is, however, extremely impressive to see how tactful and diplomatic the country representatives are, even when speaking with observers and civil society participants.

After one particularly late night at the Bella Center, home of Cop15, I waited at the Metro station at 1:30 a.m. in the snow and freezing temperatures and happened to engage in conversation with a negotiator from Bolivia.

The position of Bolivia and others in the region is that the atmosphere is polluted with emissions lingering from the dawn of the industrial era. In other words, developed countries spewed all these Read the rest of this entry »

By Lee Barken, IT practice leader at Haskell & White, LLP

With the gathering of more than 130 world leaders in Copenhagen this week, the issue of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is taking center stage.  GHG has become the burden that no one country can unilaterally cure, but every person on the planet has a vested interest in addressing.

Cap and trade, along with other policy measures, have stirred a great deal of controversy–as they should.  Decisions to significantly alter the fabric of commerce and daily life should not be taken lightly.  Rigorous debate is essential and should be welcomed.

However, even the most ardent climate skeptic acknowledges that finite resources such as oil and other fossil fuels won’t last forever.  As such, the debate seems to be evolving into a question of when and not if.  In other words, Read the rest of this entry »

The COP15 corridor dance: A yellow badge-wearer chats up a pink badge-wearer.

By Lee Barken, IT practice leader at Haskell & White, LLP

Wish you were here? Allow me to draw a picture.

We’re now well into week two of the COP-15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen and the diplomats, activists and media representatives are fully engulfed in a whirlwind of activity.  Beyond the maze of the Bella Center’s million square feet, 60 meeting rooms and winding pathways lies another maze comprised of diplomatic maneuvering, backroom gamesmanship and good old-fashioned guerrilla marketing.  Knowing where to go and what to do Read the rest of this entry »

By Lee Barken, IT practice leader at Haskell & White, LLP

A royal panel (left to right): Royal Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark

Up the road from the COP15 Climate Conference and just outside of downtown Copenhagen, 170 exhibitors gathered this weekend for the 2-day Bright Green conference, to demonstrate that climate change is both a dangerous peril and a pathway to profits. Bright Green, a showcase organized by the Confederation of Danish Industry, aims to show that the emission reductions currently being negotiated at COP15 will require a myriad of new industry solutions.

Judging by the turnout, it would appear that industry is more then ready to step up to the challenge and that the 10,000 attendees were not deterred by silent protest messages, such as “our climate is not your business” Read the rest of this entry »

How a new forestry protocol is bridging the divide between business and environmentalism.

 By Lee Barken, IT practice leader at Haskell & White, LLP

Who says money doesn’t grow on trees? At the third-annual Forest Day event, held during the Cop15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen, attendees were a buzz about going green and making green, all with a new forestry protocol called REDD.

Short for “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation,” REDD aims to make a tree worth more standing up then cut down. It accomplishes this by monetizing the carbon sequestration benefits of trees in the form of carbon credits. Or, to put it another way: REDD is a mechanism to grow Read the rest of this entry »

Tim Kelley, CEO of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation, calls Imperial Valley the renewable energy epicenter of California.  He could just as easily say the region is at the very bottom of renewable energy resources in California.  On our Discover Imperial County tour last week we passed through Calipatria near the south end of the Salton Sea.  Every day Calipatrians view the city’s landmark, a 184 foot flag pole, the top of which is at sea level.  Calipatria is the lowest city in the western hemisphere.  The happy combination of low elevation, thin earth crust and seismic activity enables the Imperial Valley to generate 20% of all the geothermal energy produced in the United States. 

During our drive we saw almost all of the 16 geothermal plants in the area.  These plants produce over 530 megawatts of electricity most of which is sold to Southern California Edison.  It is anticipated that the Salton Sea geothermal field may contain an additional 2,000 megawatts of commercial development potential. 

None of the “hot rock” electricity is directed to San Diego due to the lack of transmission line capacity, a problem which the Sunrise Powerlink will solve.  The biggest operator with 10 facilities is CalEnergy, a MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company (part of the Warren Buffett empire).  Number two is Ormat Technologies, a subsidiary of Israel-based Ormat Industries.

In simplified terms, a geothermal production well is drilled to a depth of 5,000 to 10,000 feet to tap into reservoirs of superheated fluids.  This 400 degree Fahrenheit brine rushes to the surface where steam is “flashed” in a series of closed vessels to drive turbines to produce electricity.  The cooled-down brine is piped a distance away from the generating plant to be injected back into the earth to re-enter the reservoir to capture the earth’s heat.  Once a reservoir is located and tapped the flow of the super hot brine is relatively steady and sustainable.  No carbon emissions are associated with the process.  Unlike solar and wind energy, geothermal energy is a baseload resource generating electricity 24/7. 

You will want to take the virtual tour of a CalEnergy geothermal facility.  Click here to begin your grand tour.

Last year the Imperial Irrigation District commissioned a Renewable Energy Feasibility study.  In addition to geothermal, the 118 page report evaluates solar, wind and biomass energy.

These mudpots are located in an open field on the southeastern side of the Salton Sea. The mud is just above ambient temperature and you can walk right up to the vents. 

Where hot water is limited and hydrogen sulfide gas is present (emitting the “rotten egg” smell common to thermal areas), sulfuric acid is generated. The acid dissolves the surrounding rock into fine particles of silica and clay that mix with what little water there is to form the seething and bubbling mudpots.

Copy and paste the location to Google maps:  Davis Rd & W Schrimpf Rd, Calipatria, Imperial, California 92233.  The satellite view shows the “volcanoes” and their proximity to the Salton Sea.

Click here for a Youtube video (not mine) of the mudpots complete with glugs, blurps and bloops.

If San Diego County were a simple geometric shape it would be a square with sides of 65 miles.  Within those four sides the resources, both natural and man-made, the intellectual heft and techno-talent are incredible.  The effectiveness of what’s in the box is magnified by what lies beyond the perimeter.  In our case it is Imperial County and Mexico.  The economic development description of this outside-the-box-thinking is the Cali Baja Bi-National Mega-Region. 

This past week I participated in a two day Discover Imperial County tour organized by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Council.  For most of us, we rarely have any contact with the sources of our food and energy.  Food comes from an aisle at Vons and electricity from a wall plug.  Just two hours from the center of our box is a different world where every resident has an up-close view of innovative technologies which make our food and energy available and affordable. 

The Imperial Valley is an energy cornucopia.  I doubt if there is any comparable space in the world that can harvest energy from solar, geothermal, water, wind, algae, biomass and piped-in natural gas.  Their ability to add new electrical production is only tempered by the timing of construction of new transmission lines.

The first stop on our tour was at the east edge of San Diego County at the Kumeyaay wind farm on the Campo Indian Reservation.  Three square miles of tribal land adjacent to Interstate 8 are home to 25 giant Gamesa wind turbines rated at 2 megawatts each.  The winds which cross the Tecate Divide provide electricity sufficient to serve more than 12,000 homes while saving 110,000 tons of green house gas emissions annually. 

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By the numbers:  Towers 70 meters (230 feet).  Blades 41.5 meters (136 feet).  The area swept by the blades of each tower = 1 1/3 acres.   Total swept area for the 25 towers = 33 1/3 acres.  (Swept area refers to the area in square feet of the rotor. It is also called the ‘capture area’.  pi x Radius² = Area Swept by the Blades).

This is a cell-phone quality video, but an interesting inside view of the the Aptera prototype.

Click here for link.

Sometimes it pays to be an early adapter.  In August the U.S. Department of Energy announced a grant of $99.8 million to implement the largest transportation electrification project in U.S. history.  San Diego was one of only five cities selected.  One thousand Nissan Leafs will be deployed in San Diego market.  The San Diego Nissan Leaf early adapters will receive the FREE use of a residential charging station.  SDG&E will track, monitor and evaluate.

Check out the Nissan Leaf for yourself at the Town & Country Convention Center in Hotel Circle this Saturday November 21st at 1:00 PM.  Click here for tour details.

Link:  San Diego Alternative Fuels Education Day 2009

Press Release:  November 19, 2009

LA Times article with photo:  Nissan is turning over a new zero-emission Leaf

The Huntington Post article with photos:  Nissan Leaf EV launched in USA

My parents never sought my approval as a child.  That was not part of their generation’s mission statement.  Nor did they seek my opinion. That I might have some input on what we were going to eat or when was not a consideration let alone my thoughts on the selection of a family car.  My friends and I never had any expectation that our parents sought our approval in their decisions.  That things are different today is obvious, although not inherently good or bad.

Excesses which result from elevated attitudes of entitlement are all around us.  There are also significant positive behavioral changes which emanate from the parental quest for approval.  The emotional hook of an 8 year old girl crawling into her father’s lap and saying “Daddy, I don’t want you to die” has had a broader and deeper impact on smoking than even the American Lung Association could have ever hoped.  Second graders have assumed the role of family recycling czars and energy efficiency auditors.  Last year I purchased a couple of cases of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) to distribute to my co-workers.  Angie, my assistant, said her daughter had been bugging her for weeks to change the lights in their house to CFLs.  Another approval problem solved.

How can we ramp-up constructive opportunities to build upon this approval seeking phenomenon?  Are there viable strategies appropriate for business to embrace?  At the CleanTECH San Diego Showcase this week (see post below) the wide-ranging discussion on Smart Grid included some comments by the presenters about their children.  Lee Krevat of SDG&E described telling his 13 year old that perhaps the all electric Nissan Leaf would be a good choice for the family.  After doing her internet research his daughter expressed her approval and Read the rest of this entry »

The inaugural CleanTECH San Diego Showcase presents Smart Grid, Transforming the Energy Industry this Thursday November 12th at the La Jolla Marriott. Keynote speaker, Ellen Pao, is a partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the preeminent player in the venture capital universe.  Kleiner Perkins’ successes include Amazon.com, Compaq, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Google, Intuit, Lotus Development, Netscape, Segway, Sun Microsystems and scores of other ventures over a 37 year history.  A year ago the firm’s $500 million Green Growth Fund committed $75 million to smart grid start-up Silver Spring Networks.  Following Ms. Pao’s remarks will be a panel discussion by the CEO’s of three venture-funded clean tech companies, Aptera, Applied Solar and PCN Technology.  Each of these San Diego-based companies is approaching the smart grid future from a different perspective. 

The smart meter system which San Diego Gas & Electric is in the process of installing is only of portion of the smart grid.  As state-mandated renewable energy becomes a larger portion of the total base of energy supply, the energy network becomes far more complex and thus more difficult to control.  Smart grid provides the two-way communication necessary to manage a diverse base of power generation and use. 

In addition to SDG&E, other smart grid companies listed in CleanTECH San Diego’s database of cleantech companies include Balance Energy, IPS Group, On-Ramp Wireless, PCN Technology and EcoDog.  The smart grid opportunity for San Diego-based technologies fans out beyond this list when wireless applications and information security are taken into consideration.

In September SDG&E announced a major Smart Grid coalition formed with CleanTECH San Diego, UC San Diego and two dozen other entities including tech giants Qualcomm, IBM, Intel, Cisco, General Electric and local start-up On-Ramp Wireless.  The San Diego coalition is seeking $100 million of federal stimulus funds for smart grid development to benefit the region and to serve as a prototype project for the rest of the world to model.  The initiative is in addition to the GridComm wireless smart grid project for which SDG&E was recently awarded $28.1 million in stimulus funds by the DOE to match with $32 million from the utility. 

The networking hour before the CleanTECH San Diego Showcase is a unique opportunity to get face to face with the captains of industry, futurists, venture capitalists and propeller heads who play in the clean tech space.  Click here to make your reservation.

The following resources will add to your understanding of Smart Grid.

“It’s Your Smart Grid”, an interactive educational website by General Electric.

Glossary of Smart Grid Terms

The Smart Grid in 2010: Market Segments, Applications and Industry Players.  David J. Leeds of GTM Research  (145 pages)  Please e-mail your request to me at glenn@glennmosier.com and I will forward the PDF file.

The FIDO Home Energy Watchdog System fetched the Greatest Gadget Award for EcoDog, Inc. last night at the 9^_th annual CommNexus GadgetFest.  EcoDog is a Vista-based clean tech company which has positioned its technology at what will be the extreme reach of the smart grid, the home.  Set to launch this year, FIDO will sniff out opportunities room-by-room to reduce both the cost and consumption of electricity. 

This was my first year to attend GadgetFest.  The competition was impressive.  Ken Rutkwoski and Andy Abramson were over-the-top funny as hosts of the geek world version of American Idol.

By now all clean tech companies have learned that Washington DC is the home of the FFF (Federal Fountain of Funding).  Less obvious is how to drink at the well.  The attorneys at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati have created a treasure trove of resources for clean tech companies who want to get their unfair share.  Their Clean Tech Resource Center covers thirteen sectors from biofuels/biomass to wind power with links to all the federal programs, services and agencies.  It is all there including links to the many state programs.  The power of knowledge is the ultimate alternative energy.

Under the leadership of CleanTECH San Diego, nine local governmental bodies have received bonding authority for over $154 million of Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs).  Announced by the Treasury Department today, the allocation is 19% of the $800 million awarded for the entire country.  This over-sized allocation is the result of a substantial collaborative effort which included several San Diego companies, non-profits and even a team of four UCSD students.    

All of the applications submitted from San Diego were for solar energy.  The largest total award in the U.S. went to the San Diego Unified School District which received an allocation for $74 million bonds for 111 projects.  The financial benefit to the School District is the indirect subsidy provided by the IRS which greatly reduces the interest expense.  “These bonds function as tax credit bonds which allow investors to receive federal tax credits in lieu of the payment of a portion of the interest on the bond.  For CREBs, the federal tax credits will cover 70 percent of the interest on the bonds”.  

The local winners were City of Chula Vista, City of Lemon Grove, Fallbrook Public Utility District, UC San Diego, San Diego State, San Diego Unified School District, San Dieguito Union High School, City of Santee and Santee School District.  Click here for the national list.

Today’s good news really amounts to a knock on the door to opportunity.  In the months ahead each award winner will have the real work of issuing bonds and implementing the solar projects.