Developing an Advanced Energy Master Plan for the Encanto Neighborhood in San Diego

This project will fund an advanced energy community master plan in the Encanto Neighborhood that can be replicated in California.

Groundwork San Diego-Chollas Creek

Recipient

San Diego, CA

Recipient Location

40th

Senate District

80th

Assembly District

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$1,421,437

Amount Spent

closed

Completed

Project Status

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Project Result

This project completed in 2018. As part of the project, the project team conducted a case study to document the various challenges and lessons learned in pursuing a community-scale clean energy system in a disadvantaged community. One of the challenges encountered during the project was that it took nearly eight months to receive community energy-usage data, which prevented the project team from being able to model the system design. As a result, the case study recommended that future teams submit their data requests early in the process. The case study also found that public schools could potentially serve as the location of onsite solar generation for the community since most residences may not have the ability to support rooftop PV.

The Issue

Many of the state's low income residents live in older, urban, built-out disadvantaged communities characterized by a range of challenges including: an aged housing stock, densely built residential areas, under-developed commercial areas, depressed socio-economic conditions, and limited public and private investment. These physical and social conditions present a number of barriers for deploying emerging clean energy technology solutions into the community. For example, many of the older homes cannot physically support solar PV panels or other energy upgrades.

Project Innovation

This project developed a prototype plan, called the Encanto Social-Economic Education Development (EnSEED) that attempts to overcome the social, financial and physical barriers to deploying emerging clean energy technology solutions in disadvantaged communities. As part of this project, the project team piloted several digital and in-person outreach strategies to the community, designed to transform an existing disadvantaged community in Southeastern San Diego into a community of near-zero net energy (ZNE) buildings. This project sought close engagement with the local community, and developed a final system design of a community-scale DER deployment as well as an accompanying financing plan. The project also developed a permitting plan that documented the necessary permit processes and required government review and approvals for deploying community-scale DER developments.

Project Benefits

Senate Bill 350 (2015) sets a 50 percent renewable energy standard and a goal of doubling energy efficiency savings by 2030. Local governments can play a critical role in achieving the goal by helping facilitate community-scale deployment of Integrated Distributed Energy Resources (IDER) such as energy efficiency, onsite renewables, demand response, and electric vehicles. This project will pilot innovative planning, permitting, and financing approaches and tools to help improve the business case for IDER adoption at the community scale.

Consumer Appeal

Greater deployment of AECs will increase consumer familiarity and comfort with ZNE homes and communities, increasing the likelihood of consumers choosing to live in an AEC.

Affordability

Streamlined planning and permitting, as well as new financial models will lower the time and capital costs associated with AEC developments. This will make AECs more affordable for both developers and consumers.

Economic Development

This project evaluated approaches to increase the financial attractiveness of community-scale IDER projects, which could lead to increased investment in the community.