Welcome to the Great Valley Center’s Energy Program website. The Great Valley Center energy program informs provides education and outreach to leaders and citizens of valley communities about the potentials of energy independence. Staff includes Tim Fisher, Energy Programs Coordinator, and pictured, Lindsay Buckley, Sacramento Valley Representative Stacey Shepard, South Valley Energy Program Representative.

The region could easily become the state’s leading region in deploying and developing renewable energy and energy efficient technologies. The Great Central Valley has vast quantities of biomass as a by-product of our thriving agriculture production. We have the sunshine with more clear days per year than any other region of the state. We are the fastest growing region in the state. Since 1970 the population has doubled to 5.7 million and it is projected to be home to 15.7 million by 2050. By making the right choices now, the Great Valley can sustainably meet its future growth in a manner that improves the region’s economy, environment, and energy independence.

Beginning in 2010, the Great Valley Center’s energy program will be working directly with Valley cities and counties to facilitate the production of greenhouse gas emissions inventories. Modeled after an effort created and implemented by the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, GVC staff will hire graduate students to pair with city and county staff. Using ICLEI trainers and software platform, interns will work with staff to gather and input data sets as specified by the California Air Resources Board in the Local Government Operations Protocol. As  future protocols are developed, the energy program hopes to facilitate community wide inventories and climate action plans with our local government partners. 

Past activities of the Great Valley Center’s energy program include:

• Supporting Governor Schwarzenegger’s California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley-Energy Work Group.
• Assisting CalStart and the Air Quality Work Group’s efforts to raise awareness in the transportation industry about clean vehicles in the Valley.
• Assisting the Water Quality Work Group to develop solutions to our water supply issues.
• Working with industry, community groups and local governments to encourage construction of new buildings to standards which exceed California Title 24 requirements
• Supporting adoption of ‘green building ordinances’ by all local jurisdictions in the San Joaquin Valley.
• Encouraging and supporting public and private agencies to use and showcase clean energy technologies.
• Providing a menu of readily available energy efficiency measures with fixed rebate levels, and clear energy savings to residential users.
• Encouraging training for HVAC trade in energy efficient installations.
• Distributing compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) as a public awareness tool.
• Authoring & publishing the "Great Valley Center Energy Primer" as a ready reference to inform local officials on energy issues.
• Encouraging and supporting public and private agencies to use and showcase clean energy technologies.
• Educating local jurisdictions on AB 32 issues.
• Working with the broad agriculture production & processing community to reduce energy use through sustainable activities.
• Maintaining data about current State & Federal energy legislation issues.

As a part of UC-Merced, the Energy Program is involved in extending knowledge about new technologies to the broader Valley in an appropriate format.