What is an Advanced Energy Community (AEC)?
An Advanced Energy Community is a community that uses energy efficiently, that produces as much energy as it consumes (Zero Net Energy), and that uses renewable energy to meet most or all of its needs. This project is trying to reach that goal by helping residents make their home as energy efficient as possible to reduce electricity needs, and then to build a Community Solar Garden to meet the remaining energy needs for the next twenty years. We believe the community should have local renewable energy to meet local demand.
What is Zero Net Energy?
Zero Net Energy (ZNE) buildings use as much energy as they produce. California has taken strides to promote more ZNE buildings throughout the state. But communities can also aim to be energy neutral. If a community uses as much energy as it produces, it would be ZNE. The proposed design of the Advanced Energy Community project in Bassett and Avocado Heights will be "Zero Net Electricity", meaning it will use as much electricity as it produces on-site or from off-site renewable sources.
What is Energy Storage?
Energy storage technologies are likely a key to the future of the electricity grid in California. During daytime hours with lots of sun, solar panels produce more electricity than can be used in buildings. Storing this electricity in batteries can help reduce the need for fossil fuel power plants and increase the reliability of the electricity grid.
Energy storage can happen at the scale of the grid, installed and maintained by utilities, or in homes and buildings. Several new technologies allow residents to install small battery packs in their homes to complement solar panels and electric vehicles.
What is an Energy Efficient Home?
We use a lot of energy in our homes. From heating and cooling our home, heating water, using appliances like refrigerators and clothes washers, to plugging in devices like lights and computers. It all uses energy. Energy efficiency is the goal of doing all these same things, but needing less energy to do so. For example, by getting rid of leaks around windows and doors, it will take less energy to heat and cool your house, and that usually means saving money, too.
What are the benefits of an Energy Efficient Home?
In addition to saving on your energy bill, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change, an energy efficient home is more comfortable to live in. If your home is well insulated there is less noise from outside coming in. An insulated home that stays warm when you heat it and cold when you cool it means your heating and cooling systems will have to run less, using less energy and making less noise. Any appliances that use natural gas to run will also create less air pollution in your home if they are more efficient, or if you home is well insulated. Energy Efficient homes are quiter, cleaner, and more comfortable to live in.
An Advanced Energy Community is a community that uses energy efficiently, that produces as much energy as it consumes (Zero Net Energy), and that uses renewable energy to meet most or all of its needs. This project is trying to reach that goal by helping residents make their home as energy efficient as possible to reduce electricity needs, and then to build a Community Solar Garden to meet the remaining energy needs for the next twenty years. We believe the community should have local renewable energy to meet local demand.
What is Zero Net Energy?
Zero Net Energy (ZNE) buildings use as much energy as they produce. California has taken strides to promote more ZNE buildings throughout the state. But communities can also aim to be energy neutral. If a community uses as much energy as it produces, it would be ZNE. The proposed design of the Advanced Energy Community project in Bassett and Avocado Heights will be "Zero Net Electricity", meaning it will use as much electricity as it produces on-site or from off-site renewable sources.
What is Energy Storage?
Energy storage technologies are likely a key to the future of the electricity grid in California. During daytime hours with lots of sun, solar panels produce more electricity than can be used in buildings. Storing this electricity in batteries can help reduce the need for fossil fuel power plants and increase the reliability of the electricity grid.
Energy storage can happen at the scale of the grid, installed and maintained by utilities, or in homes and buildings. Several new technologies allow residents to install small battery packs in their homes to complement solar panels and electric vehicles.
What is an Energy Efficient Home?
We use a lot of energy in our homes. From heating and cooling our home, heating water, using appliances like refrigerators and clothes washers, to plugging in devices like lights and computers. It all uses energy. Energy efficiency is the goal of doing all these same things, but needing less energy to do so. For example, by getting rid of leaks around windows and doors, it will take less energy to heat and cool your house, and that usually means saving money, too.
What are the benefits of an Energy Efficient Home?
In addition to saving on your energy bill, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change, an energy efficient home is more comfortable to live in. If your home is well insulated there is less noise from outside coming in. An insulated home that stays warm when you heat it and cold when you cool it means your heating and cooling systems will have to run less, using less energy and making less noise. Any appliances that use natural gas to run will also create less air pollution in your home if they are more efficient, or if you home is well insulated. Energy Efficient homes are quiter, cleaner, and more comfortable to live in.
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A. Sealing air leaks and adding insulation
B. Improving heating and cooling systems C. Sealing ductwork D. Replacing windows E. Upgrading lighting, appliances and water heating equipment F. Installing renewable energy systems |
What is Renewable Energy?
Energy produced from renewable sources like the sun, wind, and biomass. These sources of energy are cleaner than fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas; which release greenhouse gases and pollution into our air and contribute to climate change.
Because of constant improvements in technology, renewable energy is often already cheaper than fossil fuels and the costs will continue to drop. The Advanced Energy Community project has a goal of providing solar power to the community at a lower cost than what they are currently paying for electricity.
What is a Community Solar Garden?
A Community Solar Garden is a solar project that produces renewable energy that can be purchased by community residents. It may be located at schools, houses of worship, parks or other public property, and would generally be on rooftops or on parking shade structures. In this way, people who cannot put solar on their home can still get access to renewable energy and benefit from the reduced cost.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_solar_farm
Energy produced from renewable sources like the sun, wind, and biomass. These sources of energy are cleaner than fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas; which release greenhouse gases and pollution into our air and contribute to climate change.
Because of constant improvements in technology, renewable energy is often already cheaper than fossil fuels and the costs will continue to drop. The Advanced Energy Community project has a goal of providing solar power to the community at a lower cost than what they are currently paying for electricity.
What is a Community Solar Garden?
A Community Solar Garden is a solar project that produces renewable energy that can be purchased by community residents. It may be located at schools, houses of worship, parks or other public property, and would generally be on rooftops or on parking shade structures. In this way, people who cannot put solar on their home can still get access to renewable energy and benefit from the reduced cost.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_solar_farm
- Community Solar generates energy: Solar installed on LA County property and possibly schools, generates clean, renewable solar energy.
- Community Solar energy delivered onto utility grid: The Community Solar is connected to the utility grid, supplementing their power supply.
- Utility continues to power your home: Your utility provider continues to deliver power to your home.
- Receive your utility bill:You will continue to receive a utility bill as you normally do, but now you will be paying the rate to purchase electricity generated by the Community Solar, which will be lower than what you used to pay.
What is Climate Change?
Climate is usually defined as the “average weather” in a place. It includes patterns of temperature, rain or snow, humidity, wind and seasons. Climate patterns play a basic role in our environment, our economy and culture. Animals migrate, people plan trips or when to plant food based on what our climate has been in the past.
The Climate change that is currently happening is faster than it has been in the last 2,000 years, which means that we need to act fast to deal with it. Temperatures are increasing, which is causing:
http://www.ipcc.ch/home_languages_main_spanish.shtml
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-releases-los-angeles-county-energy-and-air-quality-environmental-report-card
How does Climate Change affect me and my family?
In the San Gabriel Valley, scientists expect it to get hotter for longer. Days of ‘extreme heat’ are those days reaching 95 degrees or more; in the San Gabriel Valley there was an average of 32 extreme heat days per year from 1981-2000. Over the next 20 years, the number of extreme heat days are expected to be about 74 days a year. By the end of the century the San Gabriel Valley will see an average of 117 days (over 3 months!) of extreme heat days per year. The high heat will lead to more heat related illness such as dehydration and heat stroke, as well as heart problems like strokes, and breathing problems like asthma (respiratory illness).
Scientists have concluded that the recent drought in California was made worse by climate change. Future droughts in California are almost certain to be more frequent and worse than the recent drought as the world continues to heat up. The increase in wildfires caused by droughts means poor air quality which leads to increase allergies, asthma, and heart attacks.
We can take action against climate change in two ways:
1.We need to adapt to changes that are already happening that we can’t stop. These changes include a greater number of higher heat days, which we can deal with by weatherizing our homes to make them easier to cool without using extra energy (which also costs more).
2.We need to prevent additional changes to the climate by reducing energy use and by using renewable energy. We can conserving energy by being more careful with what we use and also by making our homes more energy efficient.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/science/climate-change-intensifies-california-drought-scientists-say.html
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-extreme-heat-la-20160620-snap-story.html
https://thinkprogress.org/how-much-of-californias-drought-was-caused-by-climate-change-scientists-now-have-the-answer-56ae9e33555f
https://grandchallenges.ucla.edu/sustainable-la/report-card/
What are Greenhouse Gasses (GHG)?
Greenhouse Gasses (GHG) are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and include: Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4),and Nitrous oxide (N2O). Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas emit carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. Each gas’s effect on climate change depends on three main factors:
Climate is usually defined as the “average weather” in a place. It includes patterns of temperature, rain or snow, humidity, wind and seasons. Climate patterns play a basic role in our environment, our economy and culture. Animals migrate, people plan trips or when to plant food based on what our climate has been in the past.
The Climate change that is currently happening is faster than it has been in the last 2,000 years, which means that we need to act fast to deal with it. Temperatures are increasing, which is causing:
- extreme heat events
- more fires
- more frequent extreme events like droughts and large storms / floods
- faster melting snow and ice
- rising sea levels
http://www.ipcc.ch/home_languages_main_spanish.shtml
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-releases-los-angeles-county-energy-and-air-quality-environmental-report-card
How does Climate Change affect me and my family?
In the San Gabriel Valley, scientists expect it to get hotter for longer. Days of ‘extreme heat’ are those days reaching 95 degrees or more; in the San Gabriel Valley there was an average of 32 extreme heat days per year from 1981-2000. Over the next 20 years, the number of extreme heat days are expected to be about 74 days a year. By the end of the century the San Gabriel Valley will see an average of 117 days (over 3 months!) of extreme heat days per year. The high heat will lead to more heat related illness such as dehydration and heat stroke, as well as heart problems like strokes, and breathing problems like asthma (respiratory illness).
Scientists have concluded that the recent drought in California was made worse by climate change. Future droughts in California are almost certain to be more frequent and worse than the recent drought as the world continues to heat up. The increase in wildfires caused by droughts means poor air quality which leads to increase allergies, asthma, and heart attacks.
We can take action against climate change in two ways:
1.We need to adapt to changes that are already happening that we can’t stop. These changes include a greater number of higher heat days, which we can deal with by weatherizing our homes to make them easier to cool without using extra energy (which also costs more).
2.We need to prevent additional changes to the climate by reducing energy use and by using renewable energy. We can conserving energy by being more careful with what we use and also by making our homes more energy efficient.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/science/climate-change-intensifies-california-drought-scientists-say.html
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-extreme-heat-la-20160620-snap-story.html
https://thinkprogress.org/how-much-of-californias-drought-was-caused-by-climate-change-scientists-now-have-the-answer-56ae9e33555f
https://grandchallenges.ucla.edu/sustainable-la/report-card/
What are Greenhouse Gasses (GHG)?
Greenhouse Gasses (GHG) are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and include: Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4),and Nitrous oxide (N2O). Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas emit carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. Each gas’s effect on climate change depends on three main factors:
- How much is in the air. Larger emissions of greenhouse gases lead to higher concentrations.
- How long they stay in the atmosphere. Each of these gases can remain in the atmosphere for different amounts of time, from a few years to thousands of years. This is why even if we stop emissions of greenhouse gases today, we will still be effected by climate change for about one hundred years.
- How strongly they impact the atmosphere. Some gases are more effective at making the planet warmer. Each greenhouse gas has a Global Warming Potential score based on how much heat it absorbs and how long it stays in the atmosphere on average. Gases with a higher GWP absorb more energy, per pound, than gases with a lower GWP, and thus contribute more to warming Earth.
