The Great Valley Center’s “Energy Primer” is an information resource intended to familiarize Valley leaders and decision makers with the basics of energy related issues and legislation.

Content has been arranged in an easy to read format for quick retrieval and referencing. Topics are organized alphabetically in five sections: the built environment, renewable energy, transportation, climate action, and energy legislation. The binder format allows for easy updating as issues evolve and new topics emerge.

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The Great Valley Center Energy Primer	1.67 MB

This Roadmap highlights existing projects, exciting new opportunities, and provides next steps for carrying out its recommendations. We focused on four priority opportunity areas:

The Built Environment: The greatest opportunities are to: 1) encourage cities to adopt green building policies; 2) help cities make clean energy improvements to their facilities; and 3) "green" planned projects and developments.

Power Production: The greatest opportunities are to: 1) increase development of the entire range of biomass-to-energy projects; 2) encourage cities to adopt clean-energy policies; 3) increase solar installations; and 4) demonstrate the value of community choice aggregation.

Water Use: The greatest opportunities are to: 1) conserve water use or promote water efficiency; 2) improve the efficiency of energy use in the pumping or treatment of water; and 3) increase use of solar energy in water pumping and treatment.

Workforce Development: The greatest opportunities are to: 1) expand existing workforce development
training or educational programs to include clean energy topics; 2) educate builders and developers about clean energy and its benefits; and 3) train planning and permitting staff about clean energy.

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A Clean Energy Roadmap for the Greater Fresno Area.pdf	1.93 MB

The data presented are a snapshot of information providing tools for measuring the environmental well-being of the Valley. The report offers data, analysis, and structure which can be used as a benchmark for assessing the progress of the Valley, providing valuable comparative information at the county, subregional, and state levels.

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Assessing the Region via Indicators The Environment 2000-2005.pdf	1.5 MB

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide potential California ethanol producers and investors with an understanding of California ethanol demand, current domestic ethanol supply, and key issues regarding potential local ethanol supply. The ethanol market in California is currently driven by a Federal mandate that an oxygenate be used to meet the Clean Air Act (CAA) (United States Environmental Protection Agency, (1990). Since the gubernatorially mandated phase-out of MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) as an oxygenate as of December 2003, ethanol has become the choice oxygenate. Currently, 80% of California's fuel markets require an oxygenate. California will require between 760 and 900 million gallons of ethanol in 2004 to meet its oxygenate requirement and fuel demand.

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Ethanol in California A Feasibility Framework.pdf	1.47 MB

The goal of the work was to demonstrate, through a series of workshops, how new technologies can assist the San Joaquin Valley in creating jobs, stimulating the regional economy, and improving quality of life. Areas of focus for the project included Telework, Energy-Efficient/"Smart" Homes, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/Homeland Security.

Expert consultants were hired to conduct research, develop materials, and provide speakers for the workshops. Specifically, Connected Communities facilitated the Telework and Home Builder's workshops, and Rivera//Lanthier and the Land Systems Group provided support for the GIS/Homeland Security workshops.

The workshops provided a unique opportunity for Valley leaders to engage in active learning with experts regarding technologies that can benefit their communities and the region. In addition to shaping the focus of the workshops with questions and suggestions, workshop participants also helped grow the regional network of leaders interested in utilizing new technologies to improve opportunities for jobs and economic development.

The report presents project background information, research, and essential material from the workshops. Topic areas are divided into chapters. Each chapter includes an overview of the technology and possible applications, a discussion of how to develop opportunities in each particular area, and propose next steps. In addition to the resources presented throughout this report, a full range of resources is available on the accompanying CD. It is our hope that this report provides the reader with both inspiration and motivation to further investigate new opportunities in the ever-changing landscape of employment within the San Joaquin Valley.

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Job Creation Enhancing Opportunities with New Technologies.pdf	1.37 MB

Strategic opportunities exist for the Central Valley initially to produce energy for local, on-site use, then to export energy, and ultimately to create an industry that exports products and expertise outside the region. An immediate opportunity for on-site production and consumption of renewable energy is the use of anaerobic digesters on dairy farms to convert methane gas into energy, as well as the use of solar energy to pump water for agriculture, incorporation of renewable-energy systems into new home construction, and increases in the use of cogeneration, particularly among municipalities. A second strategic opportunity is to produce renewable energy/fuel for sale outside the region. Examples of this opportunity include developing a biofuels industry in the Central Valley, supporting and increasing biomass plants, and selling energy produced from large-scale solar-energy generating stations. A third strategic opportunity is for the Central Valley over the long term to become a center for equipment manufacturing and industry expertise that exports products/services to national and global markets. This longer-term opportunity might include fuel cells, irrigation technology, solar equipment, and wind turbines.

To realize the vision of a leading renewable-energy cluster for the Central Valley, regional leaders will need to collaborate around key action areas. Regional leaders can start by articulating and sharing the vision widely with elected officials, community residents, business leaders, environmentalists, and other stakeholders throughout the region. An initial advisory group convened at a roundtable in January 2003 to review the report and discuss action steps. They identified five priority action areas for the Central Valley: crafting a regional strategy, encouraging market development, streamlining local planning and permit processes, providing capital incentives, and influencing state policy.

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Renewable Energy Strategic Opportunities for the Great Central Valley.pdf	985.99 KB

This report is part of the NEW VALLEY CONNEXIONS program, a partnership of the Great Valley Center and the Division of Science, Technology & Innovation of the California Trade and Commerce Agency. The Great Valley Center is a regional resource to help people successfully manage growth and change in the Central Valley. The purpose of the research grant is to "identify opportunities to grow technology-based clusters in the San Joaquin Valley in order to make the Valley more competitive, enhance its base of agriculture and natural resources, attract compatible investment, and improve the quality of life."

The report was developed to provide San Joaquin Valley agricultural producers, processors, and affiliated business and resources with specific and current information regarding the dynamics of the New Economy marketplace and the impact of environmental challenges on their continued success in an increasingly competitive global market. It suggests areas where the Valley can best focus to seize a competitive advantage. It is based on the premise that with dynamic leadership and a willingness to adapt to dramatic changes, the enduring entrepreneurial spirit within the Valley can support the continued and enhanced success of agriculture, the foundation of the Valley's economy.

The report has two sections, Marketplace Dynamics: New Economy Affecting Agri-Food Industry and Technology for Sustainable Agriculture: Overcoming Pressing Environmental Issues.

Marketplace Dynamics: New Economy Affecting Agri-Food Industry addresses an ever-changing consumer and technology-driven marketplace that is causing a movement away from a traditional commodity model to a consumer-driven model.

Technology for Sustainable Agriculture: Overcoming Pressing Environmental Issues addresses the use of technology to overcome pressing environmental issues. The report does not pursue other issues facing agriculture such as land use, water supply, endangered species, and labor. Although they are current pressing environmental issues, they are not within the scope of this particular report.

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Producing a Competitive Advantage Agri-Tech in the San Joaquin Valley.pdf	2.1 MB