Nine “green” projects, programs and initiatives undertaken by California state agencies, cities and counties will be honored at the upcoming Green California Summit & Exposition, held at the Sacramento Convention Center March 16 through 18.
“Initiatives like these keep California ahead of the curve when it comes to preserving the environment,” said Carl Smith, editor-in-chief for Green Technology. “The dozens of deserving projects that were nominated are impressive evidence of the public sector's commitment to a sustainable future.”
The Green California Leadership Awards, established at the request of the Summit's Advisory Board, recognize state and local agencies for innovative efforts to green the Golden State.
“We are pleased to be recognized for our innovative efforts in combining two forms of alternative energy – solar and geothermal – to power county facilities," said Matt Perry, chief deputy administrative officer for the county of Lake. “The Lake County Board of Supervisors remains committed to energy efficiency and the use of multiple sources of alternative energy.”
Board of Supervisors Chair Denise Rushing said the county just found out about the award, which it applied for about a month ago.
“It was a very competitive situation,” she said.
Lake County will be honored this year in the energy innovation category for its innovative recycling program, which uses solar energy to power facilities that treat, transport and recycle wastewater and then uses the treated water to recharge geothermal resources for energy production.
The county's award application, prepared by Lake County Sanitation District Administrator Mark Dellinger, called the project “Innovation in Sustainable Community Infrastructure.”
The project's elements include the county's 2.2-megawatt solar power installation – including five arrays on three sites totaling 22.5 acres – that was dedicated last month.
The solar installation is the largest public solar power installation in California and the third largest in the western United States, Rushing said at the dedication.
The arrays will help power the Hill Road Correctional Facility, the Northwest Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Southeast Effluent Pump Station, and will save the county millions of dollars in energy costs in the coming 20 years, according to county officials.
“This project is part of a larger effort to create sustainable energy and community infrastructure in Lake County,” Dellinger noted in his application.
He explained that, since 1997, Lake County Sanitation, Northern California Power Agency and Calpine Corp. have operated a wastewater reuse system that pumps treated wastewater effluent to The Geysers, the world’s largest complex of geothermal energy. The Geysers, he said, generates 50 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity.
Dellinger stated in his application that The Geysers pipeline has avoided more than 4 billion pounds of carbon emissions since 1997.
Sustainability and green energy have increasingly become a priority for the county in recent years.
In August of 2007, the Board of Supervisors voted to join the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization program, a nationwide effort to reduce greenhouse emissions by 80 percent by 2050 or 2 percent annually. Movement organizers also are supporting a increase in fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon within a decade.
Rushing would like to see the entire Board of Supervisors go to Sacramento to receive the award, but she said she's not sure everyone can make it. She said she and Dellinger plan to make the trip.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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