31 March 2020
First-quarter newsletter

Friends,

In my 56 years on this planet, I have never experienced the level of extended chaos and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. While everyone is having to manage through an array of individual challenges, what comforts me is learning approaches for navigating forward in a healthy and productive manner.  

In that spirit, I share the approach being taken by me personally and the Clean Coalition collectively. We are tightening our focus on achieving the Clean Coalition’s mission to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and a modern grid. From our programs work on Solar Microgrids and renewables-driven Community Microgrids to our policy work designing and implementing policies & market mechanisms that set the foundation for achieving the Clean Coalition’s mission, every Clean Coalition team member is performing at full speed on the gradient path. (It is worth noting that we are accustomed to working remotely.)

The coronavirus pandemic has forced the Clean Coalition’s leadership team to prioritize efforts and to triage resources. Our enhanced focus is vital given that the impacts of climate change and other human-driven planetary degradation are beyond the point of being reversible without significant and thoughtful intervention. And given that these impacts threaten sustainability for all living beings, there is never a moment to waste.  

I hope the Clean Coalition's efforts will provide tangible benefits to your community as we tighten our focus on delivering an unparalleled trifecta of economic, environmental, and resilience benefits to communities. I also hope that you will join our efforts by supporting and replicating Clean Coalition initiatives in whatever manner you can.

I speak for the entire Clean Coalition team when I say that we send you positive energy for being as healthy and productive as possible.

Power On!

Craig Lewis, Executive Director
Overcoming the barriers to microgrid proliferation
The Direct Relief Solar Microgrid in Southern California provides an example of how current policies limit the size of renewables-driven microgrids and their resilience benefits for communities. New technology and policy innovations are ready to change that.
Key energy resilience legislation in California, March 2020
Policy is a critical driver for clean local energy and resilient communitie s . Now that wildfires and power shutoffs have put the spotlight on resilience and microgrids, the California legislature is considering a number of bills related to these areas.
Webinar recording and slides: Identifying optimal locations for Community Microgrids
Community Microgrids provide our communities unparalleled economic, environmental, and resilience benefits — but identifying potential sites is time-consuming and complex. This webinar demonstrates an innovative methodology to simplify the siting process.
Status report: Streamlining WDG interconnection
To achieve California's clean energy goals, we’ll need more wholesale distributed generation (WDG) — which faces serious interconnection challenges. The Clean Coalition has made significant progress in our work to overcome these challenges, and we continue to push for improvements.
Clean Coalition in the news
Sustainable microgrids are the future of clean energy
TechCrunch | Read article
Will a Single Utility, PG&E, Boost the 2020 Microgrid Market by $1 Billion?
Microgrid Knowledge | Read article
Long Beach, Calif., Urges Regulatory Reforms to Overcome Microgrid Delays
Microgrid Knowledge | Read article
Distributed Generation with Craig Lewis
The Energy Show with Barry Cinnamon | Listen to podcast
Santa Barbara Schools Look to Microgrids for Community Resilience and EV Charging
Homer Microgrid News | Read article
Turning to alternative energy saves taxpayer dollars
Santa Barbara News-Press | Read article
Upcoming e vents

Due to the ongoing public health concerns related to the COVID-19 virus, all events are subject to schedule changes and cancelations.
Webinar: Grid saturation lessons from Australia and Hawaii
12 May at 11am PT - 12 noon
Steve Thrall of Planet Ark Power and the Clean Coalition's Policy Associate Ben Schwartz will present. Go  here for more information and to register.

SDED 2020 Virtual Symposium
5 June online event
Executive Director Craig Lewis will present at this event. Go   here for more information and registration options; this will be an online-only event.

Grid Edge Innovation Summit
16-17 June in San Diego, CA
The Clean Coalition is a partner organization for this event. Go   here for more information and registration options.

Statewide Energy Efficiency Forum
22-23 June in Sacramento, CA
The Clean Coalition is a partner organization for this event. Go   here for more information and registration options.

SPI, ESI, & North America Smart Energy Week
14-17 September in Anaheim, CA
The Clean Coalition is a partner organization for these events. Go   here for more information and registration options.

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