SDG&E Adds 40 Megawatts of Geothermal Energy

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today announced that it has signed a power-purchase agreement with Esmeralda Truckhaven to supply 40 megawatts (MW) of geothermal energy to the region's electric system. This latest agreement will boost SDG&E's total geothermal energy supply to 60 MW produced from Esmeralda facilities located in Imperial County, Calif.

A megawatt is the equivalent energy needed to power 650 homes.

"The Imperial County is a renewable mecca for our region's future energy supply," said Debra L. Reed, president and chief executive officer of SDG&E. "As we continue to aggressively seek out renewable sources of energy to meet the state's 20-percent-by-2010 mandate, we will look to renewable developers such as Esmeralda to help us expand our renewable energy footprint throughout the county."

Geothermal energy is generated by using heat from beneath the earth's surface to form electricity. It continues to be the largest producing renewable source of energy in California that develops "green" electricity 24 hours a day.

In addition to the Esmeralda contract, SDG&E added to its renewable-energy portfolio last week when the company received approval of its Envirepel agreement from the California Public Utilities Commission. The Envirepel agreement is for 1.5 MW of biomass energy to be produced at a facility being developed in Vista, Calif.

Today, five percent of SDG&E's energy-resource mix comes from renewable resources such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal. SDG&E has continuously pursued renewable energy with market solicitations every year since 2002. In the most recent solicitation, developers bid more than 5,000 MW of renewable energy for a majority of projects that would be built in the Imperial Valley.

The 2008 renewables solicitation will be issued later this month.

Source: SDG&E

New Zealand Bans New Fossil Fuel Power Plants!

New Zealand electricity producers face a 10-year moratorium on all new gas- or coal-fired power plants to help the country reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The nation's Prime Minister also commits to 90% renewable electricity by 2025.

Electricity producers in New Zealand are now barred from constructing any new fossil fuel power plants for the next ten years, according to Bloomberg.com.

New Zealand already produces about 70 percent of its power from non-polluting and renewable energy sources, including wind, hydro-electric and geothermal generators. New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clarke, recently announced intention to commit to 90% renewable electricity by 2025 and the government is blocking construction of new gas-fired power plants to speed investment in wind and geothermal energy.

Eventually, the Prime Minister (pictured below) would like to see the country carbon-neutral. “I have set out the challenge to our nation to become the first truly sustainable nation on earth … to dare to aspire to be carbon neutral," Prime Minister Clarke said.

The Prime Minister also gave a brief outline of further goals, which included a 2040 target of reducing by half per capita emissions from transport and widely introducing electric vehicles. She also stated the goal of achieving a net increase in forest area of 250,000 hectares (617,000 acres) by 2020.

“The long-term benefits of becoming a sustainable nation will spread beyond our national reputation and success in business to benefit all New Zealanders,” Prime Minister Clarke added.

Both announcements come as the government releases the New Zealand Energy Strategy, the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and the Transport Strategy Implementation Plan.


Well there's an example of how you set your priorities if you are truly committed to the sustainable, just, and prosperous energy future we should all be striving for. Complete carbon neutrality is the ultimate objective for developed nations, and New Zealand seems committed to showing us the way. Bravo!

PG&E Adds More Geothermal to Renewable Energy Mix

SAN FRANCISCO - Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced it has entered into a contract with Western GeoPower, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Western GeoPower Corp., to purchase renewable geothermal energy from The Geysers Geothermal Field in Northern California. The project will deliver 25.5 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy for PG&E's customers throughout Northern and Central California starting in 2010.

"With this agreement we're taking a major step forward in meeting our renewable energy goals," said Fong Wan, vice president of Energy Procurement. "This project is yet another example of our company's commitment to the environment by delivering reliable, climate-friendly energy to our customers."

The Geysers Geothermal Field, located 75 miles north of San Francisco, California, is the largest producer of geothermal electricity in the world. Commercial geothermal power has been generated continuously at The Geysers Field since 1960.

"The timing of our project could not be better as it responds directly to California's legislated Renewable Portfolio Standard Program (RPS) requiring State utilities, including PG&E, to purchase at least 20% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by the year 2010," said Kenneth MacLeod, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western GeoPower.

Geothermal energy accounts for four percent of PG&E's overall energy mix. PG&E currently supplies 13 percent of its energy from qualifying renewable sources under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) -- one of the highest volumes of any utility in the United States. Renewable sources in PG&E's portfolio include solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and small hydroelectric. In addition, more than 50 percent of the electricity that PG&E delivers to its customers comes from generating resources that emit no or low carbon dioxide, the primary contributor to global warming.

The Western GeoPower contract is the first contract originating from PG&E's 2006 RPS solicitation. PG&E is currently in discussions with additional market participants that submitted offers in the 2006 solicitation. PG&E anticipates submitting a first batch of contracts, including the one with Western GeoPower, to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval by the end of the month.

In addition to the ongoing 2006 solicitation, PG&E is also in the early stages of its 2007 RPS solicitation. The company is seeking to procure an additional 1-2 percent of its customers' electricity needs through the 2007 renewable energy solicitation process. Schedule and bidding instructions can be found at http://www.pge.com/rfo. The 2007 RPS solicitation is PG&E's fifth competitive solicitation for renewable energy since 2002. Since then, it has entered into contracts for approximately 1100 MW of renewable power from wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydro resources.

California's RPS Program requires each utility to increase its procurement of eligible renewable generating resources by one percent of load per year to achieve a 20 percent renewables goal by 2010. The contract with Western GeoPower represents approximately 0.3 percent of load. The RPS Program was passed by the Legislature and is managed by California's Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission.

For more information about Pacific Gas and Electric Company, please visit the company's web site at http://www.pge.com/