Making it happen

Overcoming Obstacles to Deploying Renewable Energy Generating Facilities in California

By Julia Malisos, LEED AP, CGBP - Planner, Core Development Services

Thomas Edison in a conversation with Henry Ford said, “We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature’s inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

Although we are on our way to tackling that, it sure seems that it may take until nonrenewable resources run out to accomplish an effective and timely way to process renewable energy projects. With such a push for them both legislatively and socially, why is the development of renewable energy generating facilities such an onerous process at this time?

In 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-14-08 which increases California’s renewable energy goals to 33% by 2020. This means that the utility companies providing electricity are mandated to obtain 33% of their energy from renewable sources. This has greatly contributed to the increased interest in development of privately-owned, small and large-scale energy generating facilities throughout California. As a result, more applications are being submitted into the jurisdictions, necessitating an understandable and timely application process.

California is 770 miles long and 250 miles wide at its most distant points. Its expansive land mass lends itself to various climates, topography, and weather conditions, which is why the potential for renewable energy facilities in the state is so great. California’s ambitious goals for a cleaner tomorrow have vastly increased demand. Therefore, in order to respond to the state’s initiatives, California needs to facilitate the deployment of renewable energy projects.

The Obstacles

Distributed energy and utility-scale facilities are two different strategies for renewable energy generation. Distributed energy comes in small scale technologies and typically provides energy to end-users located close to the source. Distributed energy resources include wind, photovoltaic, geothermal and hydroelectric power. There are a variety of environmental benefits to this application as well as consumer benefits, especially in places were outages are common.

Another benefit of distributed energy resources is that they can be project specific. Thus, end-users can choose the best solution and technology for their particular needs. The greatest benefit from a land-use perspective is that distributed energy facilities can be placed in locations that minimize lot coverage. Structurally sound rooftops are prime locations for these uses because they mitigate visual impacts and maximize necessary environmental conditions such as sun and wind exposure.

Although distributed energy is an excellent solution to minimizing bad aesthetics and maximizing land conservation, it lacks the ability to serve the masses, which is why the application for utility-scale generating facilities is necessary. Because distributed energy is located on numerous sites, the dispersed nature of the design prohibits energy to service any more than the end-users within close proximity. Utility-scale energy generating facilities that serve as central power stations solve the critical mass issues associated with distributed energy technologies.

Utility-scale energy generating facilities, also called central station power projects, are those facing the most arduous of processes. Serving the masses, utility-scale energy generating deployments, specifically solar installations, use economies of scale to achieve significant cost savings, helping consumers get the most for their money. These largescale facilities are set up to generate electricity that connects to the grid. This is the opposite of distributed energy facilities that serve a direct end-user and then may route excess energy back to the grid.

Typically found in the California deserts, utility-scale solar and wind facilities are located on large parcels usually containing hundreds of acres. Although not large in their individual footprints, solar and wind capturing devices often need expansive amounts of ground space to accommodate the necessary equipment for a large-scale facility. In addition, code requirements tend to mandate big parcels in order to meet setback and minimum lot requirements.

Common environmental concerns include air quality, noise, habitat disturbance, animal mortality, and water usage. These issues make the environmental review process long and expensive. Furthermore, one of the biggest environmental concerns is aesthetics. Is the facility going to interrupt or impede the view? Are the materials going to be so reflective that they emit heat, causing even more climate change? Is it going to be “ugly?”

The common issues that arise with large-scale deployments are environmentally focused; however the financial constraints, extensive timelines, and short deadlines also cause roadblocks. Because renewable deployments are not yet commonplace and do not have a streamlined process, obtaining enough financing for these projects is a challenge. Government incentives are available, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) as well as the California Solar Initiative. These programs provide incentives and rebates for builders, developers, installers, and individual homeowners.

However, the current timeframes for obtaining all necessary permits often causes difficulty for applicants to take advantage of the financial incentives issued through the ARRA. This obstacle may make obtaining the ARRA money impossible. Fixing disconnects between design/development, jurisdictional approval, and funding is necessary to create a more streamline and successful process for the deployment of these facilities.

The Solutions

As more solar and wind projects start the long journey from inception to operation, it is pertinent that we solve the problems that are delaying the processing, funding, and eventual deployment of renewable energy generating facilities. Because obtaining jurisdiction approval is one of the biggest obstacles, revising applicable codes would streamline the application process, reducing time frames, and ultimately minimizing upfront costs.

Currently, numerous jurisdictional codes remain silent or vague on this type of land use. As a result, Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) have become the most obvious default solution. The lack of real jurisdictional directive is preventing a fast and predictable permitting process for both the applicant and the governing body. Therefore, amending the codes to address this land use will establish the appropriate application and processing requirements upfront, thereby reducing or eliminating processing roadblocks.

Another solution to initiate the use of utility-scale renewables is through land developers. For example, developers of master-planned communities (MPCs) have the opportunity to imbed renewable energy facilities into their developments. Designating parcels for these facilities within MPCs can mitigate visual and environmental impacts and maximize efficiency and function. This would encourage the development of renewable energy generating facilities and furthermore, potentially allow for a simple administrative review process since the land use was addressed in the early stages.

One of the major reasons that these types of projects fail in the entitlement stage is everyone’s favorite acronym: NIMBY (Not in My Backyard). Community outreach and consensus building will help these projects at public hearings. When a jurisdiction is comfortable that its citizens support these projects, the approval process becomes that much easier and more acceptable. Educating jurisdictions and the public about the benefits of these projects and the strategies for mitigating environmental impacts is crucial to their success.

Constantly advancing technology promises improvements in energy production and impact mitigation. There is a variety of renewable energy generating technologies in the marketplace today, but most common is solar and wind. Solar thermal and photovoltaic are the two main solar technologies used to generate electricity on a large scale. A solar thermal facility uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight to heat fluids and produce steam, which drives an electricity generator. Photovoltaic facilities generate electric power by using arrays of solar cells to convert sunlight directly into electricity.

Although solar thermal installations convert sunlight to electricity at a more efficient rate, they have several drawbacks including California Energy Commission (CEC) licensing and aesthetic issues due to their high reflectivity. Conversely, photovoltaic arrays do not require CEC licensing because they do not have a thermal component. Additionally, this technology does not use mirrors, thereby reducing reflectivity impacts. As a result, photovoltaic installations require fewer approvals and have fewer potential impacts.

Wind energy, similar to solar, has utility-scale and small wind operations. Wind energy facilities do not produce hazardous waste, nor do they pollute air or water. According to the American Wind Energy Association website (www.awea.org), if 20% of the energy produced in the United States was replaced by wind energy operation systems, more than one-third of the emissions from coal-fired power plants could be eliminated. Small wind is a form of distributed energy generating facilities and is typically designed on a smaller scale, servicing end-users within a close proximity.

Utility-scale wind, also called wind farms, are comparable to utility-scale solar deployments in that they are located on large parcels of land in remote areas. Wind turbines have often been the target of environmental concerns, specifically complaints about bird and bat deaths as well as noise and visual impacts. With technological advancements, these concerns are a main focus and are rapidly being mitigated.

Making it Happen

Integration would be the ultimate solution to make these renewable energy facilities the most effective. One setback with using solar or wind is that there are periods of intermittency. The sun only shines during the day, which makes solar facilities useless at night while turbines only spin when it is windy (average wind speeds typically increase at night). Integration of the two technologies would provide a hybrid strategy where, ideally, if they are not working simultaneously, one is working while the other is not. There are design issues that need to be considered such as shading, but although such obstacles exist, it does not make the hybrid concept unattainable.

Communication is possibly the most important step to solving entitlement processing roadblocks for renewable energy generating facilities. Developing strong relationships between jurisdictions and applicants allows for better collaboration and more importantly, problem-solving. Communication also includes working together to revise codes so that they are beneficial to the jurisdiction, applicant, and general public.

The need and the desire for a cleaner environment is a worldwide matter. California has taken an active role in this mission, which can have more benefits than producing clean energy, such as increasing workforce demand and nurturing innovation. Encouragingly, Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ken Salazar, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, to expedite the siting of California renewable energy projects. This MOU commits the federal government to work with the state on producing and enacting a process for reviewing, approving and permitting renewable energy projects.

The potential to meet California’s Renewable Portfolio Standards is within reach. However, better application processing and communication in addition to technological advancements will truly lead to a functioning and fruitful renewable energy industry.

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