UPC Wind Signs PPA for City of Los Angeles:

UPC Wind announced the approval of a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply the City of Los Angeles with wind power from its Utah-based Milford Wind Corridor project. Approved by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the L.A. City Council, the PPA was made with the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA).

As part of the long-term power purchase agreement, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) will receive 185 megawatts (MW) from Phase I of UPC’s Milford Wind Corridor with the cities of Burbank and Pasadena getting 10 MW and 5 MW from the project respectively.

“The approval of this power purchase agreement by the Mayor and the L.A. City Council is a major milestone for our Utah-based Milford Wind Corridor project,” said Paul Gaynor, President and CEO of UPC Wind. “In addition to the clean, wind energy that the project will produce for The City of Los Angeles, it will be a source of revenue and new jobs to the Utah region where it will be built.”

Once more, with feeling: PPA’s are the business world equivalent of a major reduction in the cost of solar PV or wind hardware. But, since something as arcane and abstract as a (gasp!) business model isn’t nearly as sexy as factories or thin film solar panels or Pelamis wave thingies, it doesn’t get the love it deserves.

SPI to Power 10 Schools in Santa Rosa City:

Solar Power, Inc. (SPI), and its joint venture partner Solar Power Integrators, have received approval from the Santa Rosa City School District Board of Directors to install photovoltaic solar electric systems at 10 of the district’s schools, a project worth approximately $23 million.

SPI will design and install the systems. Solar Power Integrators will act as the project construction manager. Individual systems within the district will range from 20 kilowatts (kW) to 687 kW. Preliminary work on the project is to begin immediately with a targeted completion date of October 2008.

“This is our first contract with the state education system and we view this as a large market opportunity going forward. Additionally, the size of this project gives us enhanced visibility into revenues for the next year, as such, we are issuing guidance for our 2008 fiscal year of at least $60 million in expected revenue and reiterating our guidance for profitability for the 2008 fiscal year,” said Steve Kircher, CEO of SPI.

And also let me drag one of my other favorite topics into the discussion, aside from PPA’s: The benefits of middle-out change. The concentrated decision making in school districts, local governments, large businesses, etc. can have a tremendous, positive effect on our evolving situation.

This is where all you little shoots in the grass roots movement come into play: The more forcefully you insist that the companies you buy from, the institutions in your community, and the governments you vote for take such steps, the more of them we’ll see. It really is that simple. Sit on your butt and bitch about how nothing happens, and you’re literally doing your part to prevent progress. (The people who are deeply emotionally invested in disaster, the Apocalypticons, are happy to do nothing except type at each other online and wallow in their doomer wet dreams. Screw them, and screw their crappy attitude.) Get involved, whether through sending market signals with your own consumption or more explicit steps like writing letters to decision makers, and you have a chance to make a major contribution.

An Unbiased Approach to Evaluating Transportation Fuels:

For the past thirty years our country has become increasingly more aware of the effects our energy use has on the environment. At the same time, it is clear that our dependence on foreign oil is having significant consequences to our economy and our national security. Yet despite alternative technologies, we still get most of our energy from the fossil fuels. We know we have a problem, but the challenges of moving away from the established technologies and infrastructure are monumental.

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The use of ethanol is the best example. …

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Hydrogen has also received significant funding recently, but the hydrogen economy has many flaws that need to be considered. …

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Electric vehicles are not without their share of difficulties. …

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Solutions to our energy problems do exist, but it will take a variety of technologies to reach our goals. Of the alternative transportation options, electric vehicles coupled with increased use of renewables and other clean sources of energy will be the most efficient way to reduce pollution and eliminate dependence on foreign oil. We need to look at all of the issues to concentrate funding on the solutions that make sense.

Yep.