•Page 20 November 1977 RAIN C ENERGY Southern California Edison P.O. Box 800 Rosemead, CA 91770 213/572-1888 Gerry Braun ) Do-it-yoursel£ types who want to install a wind generator or other solar device to generate their own electric power will have ;rn easier time of it, thanks to an experimental service, says Southern California Edison Co., Rosemead. A residential or small commercial customer now can hook homemade power into the Edison grid with a special coupler. When the cq.stomer's generator doesn't produce enough voltage to keep the lights bright, the coupler will automatically draw on Edison's supply. As a bonus, Edison will credit the doit-yourselfer for any excess electricity not needed by the customer. The surplus power will feed back into Edison's distribution ·network for resale. The new arrangement, approved by • the California Public Utilitie.s Commission, will help experimenters overcome a major hurdle: windmills and many other devices are unpredictable producers of power. "Wind can blow up a storm of power when it's not needed and not enough at other times," a utility spokesman noted.· Storing surplus power in batteries would work in 'theory, but batteries big enough to ensure dependable power for a becalmed household are prohibitively expensive (e.g. $4.,000 to $6,000 for a four-person family). - L.A. Times, Oct. 11, 1977 Energy and Environment Information Center 215 Fremont Street San Francisco, CA 94105 415/5 56-7 328 This is the place to go if you are looking for governmental or even non-governmental publications on energy and environment. The Center has 19 different data ba-ses in their Recon computer system. Abstracts" are available for all DOE publications, some EPA publications, selected works of international groups, plus they subscribe to the National Te.chnical Information Services' energy category (category 97), which gives you access to all energy publications at NTIS. One of their data bases is an Energy Directory which is a guide to both government and non-government groups which are doing energy work. They are beginning to develop a series of abstracts on appropriate technology projects and organizations. Printouts are made overnight and are sent from the main terminal at Oak Ridge. Tennessee. A final bonus is that they can make some of those expensive but informative newsletters such as Nucleonics Week or Energy Daily available. And it is all free. According to Mike Lopez, who manages the center, they c!iscourage the use of the system by large institutions who can afford to pay for the service elsewhere. This is an information retrieval system for students, non-profit groups or anyone who is concerned about energy and the environment and needs complete, up-to-date information. Marin Citizens for Energy Planning 80 Lomita Drive Mill Valley, CA 94941 415/383-4231 Steve Schmidt and Phil Greenberg, Co-Directors MCEP is a local, private, non-profit groups which, in late 1976, began to help Marin citi.zens learn more about energy alternatives and conservation. One of the best things about this group is that it doesn't try to do everything; it focuses on the needs and interests of the people of Marin. In addition to their work in the community and the weatherization program, which they manage for Community Action Marin, they have published the Marin Energy Examiner, which takes a close look at how energy is used and how it can be saved in the county. Write for it at the above address- it's free. Phil Greenberg recently compiled wh;i.t looks like a very useful and usable guide to energy programs in California. Titled Energy Policies and Programs of California Cities and Counties: A Survey, this reference tool is available from MCEP for $6.50 (individuals, libraries, state agencies) or $3.50 (non-profits). ,The rrioney goes to support MCEP's work, so pay if you can. If you can't afford this, ERDA is making a few copies available at no charge through the Energy and Environment Information Center, 215 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Citizens' Home Energy Conserv.ation .Project • Santa Clara County 1460 Koll,Circle • San Jose, CA 95112 '408/993-3020 It is always good to know where to go to get a home ready for winter if you don't think you can afford the cost. This group has weatherized over 660 homes in Santa Clara County since it was started in February of 1976. In order to qualify for their services, you must be part of a low income household (by federal standards). In addition to insulation, caulking, weatherstripping, adjusting furn~ces and replacing furnace filters, the people who work here are glad to come look at your home and share general conservation tips. Their project is funded through the Community Services Administration and the Federal Energy Ad~inistration. C SOLAR· ) The two chapters 'af the International Solar Energy Society in California are: Northern California Solar Energy Association P.O. Box 1056 Mountain View, CA 94042 Southern California Solar Energy Association City Administration Building . 202 "C" Street San Diego, CA 92101 Both put out a ne'wsletter which covers current topics in solar energy. The Southern California chapter makes a, variety of publications available, includfng the Western Regional Solar Energy Directory, various fact sheets and a mailing list of. members. SolarCal c/o California Public Policy Center 304 S. Broadway, Room 224 Los Angeles, CA 90013 Sponsored by the Campaign for Economic Democracy, Solarcal could.be a public solar energy corporation that would finance low-and middle-income . consumers and sinall solar entrepreneurs through direct loans or loan guarantees. It would also certify solar manufacturers. This public corporation, which would facil~tate solar implementation and avoid the monopoli_~tic shadow of the banks and utilities, could be funded in a variety of ways and would encourage a labor-intensive, decentralized solar energy industry in California. This group is also proposing a resolution which would create a cabinetlevel position to focus and foster solar energy development in the state.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz