North Bay Business Journal

PG&E, Petaluma Chamber to hold business expo Oct. 6

PETALUMA — Pacific Gas and Electric Company partnered with the Petaluma Area Chamber of Commerce to provide a small- and medium-sized business customer workshop at the chamber’s annual Business Expo scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 6, from 4 to 7 p.m.

AmCan project turns waste heat to power

AMERICAN CANYON — In addition to a large solar electricity plant planned to cover much of the closed 80-acre American Canyon landfill and an existing power plant there that uses captured methane from decomposing garbage, a new project will harness heat normally lost during combustion of landfill gas to generate up to an additional 1.5 megawatts of electricity.

Algebra academies inspired by chamber leader are expanding

SANTA ROSA – The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce is kicking off another session of the Mike Hauser Algebra Academy—and is helping other cities have their own programs.

After one year, Marin Clean Energy at 9,000

MARIN – Marin Energy Authority, the agency providing a renewable energy alternative to PG&E’s current offerings through Marin Clean Energy, rolled out its 100 percent renewable offering, Deep Green, and celebrated its one-year anniversary in May.

BEST economic program kicked off

SANTA ROSA — A proactive and coordinated effort from the public and private sectors targeting job growth, Sonoma County BEST – “Building Economic Success Together” — officially kicked off with a breakfast this morning at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Marin Energy to allow producers to sell it power

MARIN — Marin Energy Authority, the agency providing a renewable energy alternative to PG&E’s current offerings through Marin Clean Energy, has created a program that it hopes will help stimulate local renewable energy assets.

‘Peak’ energy pricing looms for business

NORTH BAY — Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is rolling out a new rate plan called “Peak Day Pricing” in response to a statewide initiative led by the California Public Utilities Commission aimed at reducing energy use during periods of extremely high demand.

Constellation launches 4-megawatt solar project

GEYSERVILLE — Constellation Wines U.S., one of the world’s largest wine companies and operator of several North Coast wineries, on Monday unveiled a solar-electricity project at four California wineries — including Clos du Bois and Ravenswood — expected to be one of the largest such projects for the wine industry when completed by the end of this year.

San Rafael-based Akuacom expanding

SAN RAFAEL – Akuacom, a Marin-based pioneer in automated grid-relieving technology, is preparing for “aggressive growth” in the wake of its acquisition by Honeywell.

Marin Energy Authority receives EPA award; looks to next steps

MARIN COUNTY – The recently implemented Marin Energy Authority is in the spotlight as other communities seek to copy it or join it.

Calpine Geysers project on the rise

THE GEYSERS – Five years after contemplating selling its facilities at The Geysers during a difficult bankruptcy, Calpine is on steady ground at the world’s premier geothermal field.

PG&E says Prop. 16 needed to protect voters; not all agree

NORTH BAY — The PG&E-backed Proposition 16 “Right to Vote” initiative is generating widespread debate among public and business groups.

Marin Energy Authority files complaint against PG&E

SAN RAFAEL (Updated 10:30 a.m. today with PG&E comment) — The Marin Energy Authority filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission today claiming that PG&E Corp. is violating state law by “pouring millions of dollars into a special interest lobbying group that is aggressively seeking to kill a local program designed to provide residents and businesses with twice the renewable energy as the giant utility for the same price.”

Marin event registration closes next week

MARIN COUNTY – The hotly debated issue of Community Choice Aggregation will be closely studied from two different perspectives at the Business Journal’s 2010 Impact Marin Conference on Thursday, March 11 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Rafael. This will be a unique opportunity for the public to ask questions of both sides in a neutral forum. In addition, a panel discussion will look at the state of the local budget and its impact on businesses and examine practical strategies that can be effective in the current economic environment.

Registration closes next Friday, March 5. To register, contact Linda Perkins at 707-521-5264 or events@busjrnl.com, or go to www.NorthBayBusinessJournal.com. Tickets are $39 per person or $390 for a table of 10 and include continental breakfast.

Speakers to face off on Marin Clean Energy plan

MARIN COUNTY — Supporters and opponents of the controversial Marin Energy Authority Community Choice Aggregation, or CCA, proposal will face off at the fourth-annual Impact Marin conference sponsored by the Business Journal March 11.

Business Journal conference March 11 to focus on Marin issues

Impact Marin 2010 topics: * Navigating your company through 2010. * The ongoing state and local fiscal crisis. * And, the big issue: Marin Clean Energy: Right direction, wrong direction?

Kunde to install 50 solar thermal panels

KENWOOD — Kunde Family Estate winery thinks it can cut energy use by more than three-quarters by allowing the sun to preheat hot water used for cleaning. The project is being eyed as a pilot financing venture to navigate hundreds of other Sonoma County wineries toward much less energy consumption for heat and refrigeration.

County looks to next fall for energy retrofit loan program

NAPA – Napa County homeowners who have been asking local planning officials when they can use innovative property-tax-bill-based financing for energy-efficiency projects similar to the program started in Sonoma County earlier this year likely will have to wait until next fall for the opportunity. County of Napa government officials are exploring options for extending such [...]

PG&E to extend, increase geysers power purchases

NORTH BAY — Pacific Gas and Electric Co. announced today it will increase and extend the utility’s purchases of renewable geothermal power from Calpine Corporation’s Geysers Power Company.

Solar reimbursement impact debated

NORTH BAY – A long-awaited move by the state to compensate homeowners for excess alternative energy got mixed reviews from the North Bay solar industry.