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Posts tagged ‘office of energy development’

Jun 27

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Salt Lake City joins Utah’s C-PACE financing program for building efficiency

Salt Lake City is pleased to join the State’s C-PACE program. Check out the press release from the Governor’s Office of Energy Development for more information . . . and stay tuned for workshop announcements and other highlights of businesses taking advantage of this cool financing tool.

 

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News Release
For Immediate Release
June 26, 2018

 

SALT LAKE CITY (June 26, 2018) — The Governor’s Office of Energy Development (OED) is pleased to announce that Salt Lake City, the state’s largest municipality, has joined Utah’s new financing tool to advance energy improvements in commercial, industrial and qualifying residential buildings.

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) is a low-cost financing mechanism for energy efficiency, renewable energy, electric vehicle and water conservation projects. The program continues to grow in Utah due to its ability to finance 100 percent of improvements using long term loans with up to a 30 year payback period. Read more

Aug 29

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Agreement Reached for Utah Rooftop Solar

Salt Lake City’s 1 MW solar farm.
Solar panels on the Public Safety Building

On Monday, the Governor’s Office of Energy Development issued news that a significant agreement had been reached between parties previously at odds over how to move forward with rooftop solar development in Utah.

The main point of contention was how to compensate rooftop solar owners for the excess electricity they sell back to the utility. In November 2016, Rocky Mountain Power proposed a change in their rate structure that could make it more difficult for homeowners to afford solar panels.

Because Salt Lake City is committed to advancing clean energy and supports the growth in rooftop solar, we opposed the proposed changes to the rate structure. In other states, notably Nevada, where similar changes have taken effect, the solar industry has imploded.

At about the same time, the Governor’s Office of Energy Development stepped in, outside of the formal Public Service Commission process, to try and broker an agreement on this thorny issue. Read more

Apr 22

Encouraging Alternative Transportation: e2 Best Practice Series

The April Best Practices session was held at Impact HUB, Salt Lake City’s newly completed headquarters at 150 S. State Street. In one of their beautifully finished lecture rooms, the group enjoyed sandwiches from Even Stevens while hearing presentations from Bike Utah, the Governor’s Office of Energy Development, and Utah Transit Authority.

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Phil Sarnoff, Director of Bike Utah, started off the session with a look at the policy and advocacy work his organization is doing to make Salt Lake City an ever more bikeable community.

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Richard Brockmyer of Utah Transit Authority discussed new projects UTA is currently pursuing, including First Mile/Last Mile. Richard explained that the first and last mile of travel when using public transportation are the most crucial, and so UTA has unveiled a suite of strategies for improving that ridership experience, including facilities for bikes and vanpooling service.

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The lunch session finished off with a group discussion where the attendees could pose their own questions and thoughts with the speakers from Bike Utah, UTA and Governor’s Office of Energy Development. There were many questions for Blake Thomas of O.E.D. about the work being done in his office to support for alternative fuel vehicles in Utah.

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May 20

Salt Lake City Expands EV Infrastructure

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, Cody Steward, Governor Herbert’s Energy Advisor and Ted Wilson, Director of UCAIR announce the installation of two new fast charging electric vehicle stations.

Today Mayor Ralph Becker joined representatives from the Utah Office of Energy Development (OED) and the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) to announce new Salt Lake City infrastructure that supports electric vehicles (EVs) and air quality goals in the region.

“Supporting electric vehicles is another key element of our plan to improve air quality along the Wasatch Front,” said Mayor Becker. “Another critical ingredient is collaboration. These new EV charging stations represent how sharing resources among government agencies, and corporate partners like Nissan, can create a positive outcome for all.”

Salt Lake City’s two new fast-charge stations, donated by Nissan to OED, are among the first of their kind in Utah. OED provided the stations to the City, along with one previously granted to Salt Lake County, as part of an inter-local agreement signed in early 2014. OED and UCAIR then partnered to cover the cost of installing the units. The 480-volt stations can provide a significant charge to the typical electric vehicle in less than an hour.

“The Office of Energy Development was pleased to partner with the City, UCAIR and Nissan on this exciting project,” said Cody Stewart, Energy Advisor to Governor Gary R. Herbert. “It’s important to note that these new charging stations are just one aspect of how electric vehicles are receiving a boost in Utah. Bills passed during the 2014 legislative session enhanced tax credits for EVs, bolstered the state’s fleet of cleaner vehicles and allowed organizations to sell electricity from EV charging stations.” These changes resulted in Utah improving its grade from a B- to a B+ in the 2014 EV Report Card (details here).

In addition to the new fast-charge stations, the City has upgraded its existing public charging infrastructure. Low-voltage EV charging stations were originally added at five locations in 2011 and these stations were recently upgraded to higher voltage units (locations in link below). These new Level 2 stations will allow users to charge their vehicles in about a third of the time. As with the original low voltage stations, these upgraded Level 2 units will remain free for public use.

Parking for EV users will be free, for up to two hours, at all charging stations. However, the City Council is expected to review a proposed fee schedule for electricity at the two fast-charge locations. Fees would help cover costs for monitoring and maintaining the stations, in addition to electricity charges.

More information on the City’s new fast-charge and enhanced Level 2 charging stations can be found at SLCgov.com.

Links to media stories:

Map of charging stations located in Salt Lake City.

Map of charging stations located in Salt Lake City.