Energy

Clouds are like nature’s dimmer switch for sunlight, and in the case of California’s power grid, they could soon be the dimmer on how much electricity we generate unless the state makes some changes. UC Irvine researchers call it intermittence, when cloud cover limits sunlight to solar power generators and lowers their electrical output. As California residents turn ever more toward renewable energy like sunlight to provide electricity, the next problem facing electrical companies is how to prepare the grid for it. Thanks to a $2-million grant, UCI researchers will use the campus as a guinea pig to try out several possibilities for the state electrical grid’s future.

      Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. is pleased to announce the addition of David M. Buchanan to its Orange County office.  Buchanan joins the firm as an associate of its Real Estate, Environmental, Energy & Finance (REEF) practice group.        Buchanan’s practice is focused on finance, mergers and acquisitions and bankruptcy, with a primary focus on leveraged and asset-based finance, acquisition finance and restructuring transactions.  His background includes representing private equity firms, corporate borrowers and lenders, including banks, commercial finance companies and corporations across a broad range of industries.

Orange Coast College is closing out its “Going Green” program with a final workshop Saturday on how to use solar power in the home. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the public can hear from Roy Heine of Suntrek Industries on ways solar energy can be used to generate electricity, heat water or warm a swimming pool. The workshop will be in OCC’s Student Center. The closest available parking is in lots A and B off Fairview Road and is free. To sign up for the workshop, call the school at (714)

Seeing evidence of a surge in demand for what were referred to as “green-collar jobs” during the presidential election, OCC has decided to debut some new classes to capitalize on the trend. For the first time, there will be courses on solar-panel installation, sustainable architecture and energy-efficient water heaters at the school. Many of the faculty members in departments like construction and architecture also work in industry, and, along with a panel of other professionals, they noticed the emerging need for people trained in environmentally conscious design and advised the college to do something about it, according to Dean of Technology Programs Doug Benoit.

Submitted by Jamie Hunter Thomas F. Valone, PhD, PE, physicist and licensed professional engineer with over 30 years professional experience will be speaking in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, June 17th at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center. Valone is a former patent examiner, research engineer, instrumentation designer, CEO, and currently an author, lecturer, and consultant on future energy developments. He is President and founder of Integrity Research Institute and formerly the Research Director for Scott Aviation-ATO, Inc. His accomplishments include circuit development of the HullCom® for naval intraship communication, a narrowband 60 Hz gaussmeter without harmonic distortion, two bioelectric energy devices, and a dental mercury vapor ionizer-precipitator.

Discussions are underway in the city halls of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach to determine the most effective way to use about $2 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 earmarked for energy-efficiency programs in the area. The money was allocated to cities based largely on population and is required to be used for programs that reduce fossil fuel emissions or reduce energy usage, according to the Department of Energy. Costa Mesa is slated to receive $1.1 million, while Newport Beach will get about $850,000.

Young boys gathered around a fenced area in a Costa Mesa parking lot, watching intently and cheering. Inside the fence, the air was thick and hot with action, even as the evening turned colder and cloudier. It was the third annual Save Our Youth Street-Soccer Tournament, an intramural event in which city youth are allotted the time and the space to compete in one of their favorite sports. The idea was simple: gather young boys from the economically disadvantaged pockets of the city and give them an avenue to positively channel their energies.

Four years and some months ago, I was debating between watching an Angel game or the Democratic National Convention on television. The convention offered the usual pastiche of political cheerleading, and I was about to switch to baseball when I decided, as a combination of party loyalty, curiosity and laziness, to at least take a quick look at the upcoming speaker who would give the keynote address. He seemed an odd choice for this important role. As a state senator in Illinois, he hadn’t yet left a footprint on the national scene.

UCI has won a statewide award for its efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions and conserve energy and water. UCI was one of five applicants out of hundreds to earn “Best Overall” recognition in the state “Flex Your Power” campaign’s annual award. Those winners were picked by representatives of the California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission, League of California Council, Southern California Edison and other public and private groups.

Try to imagine a garden where the only thing alive is plants. I can’t. I could hardly call it a garden without some birds, insects, lizards and other small creatures. Planting trees, flowers, shrubs and vines is easy. But with a little more planning and the right plants, even a suburban Orange County garden can be a magnet for vanishing wildlife. It is very satisfying watching birds in your garden snack on berries, or seeing a lizard basking on a warm stone or butterflies dancing among your plants.