When it comes to environmentally friendly energy policy, Lompoc is ahead of the game.

One year ago Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order setting a goal of using 33 percent renewable energy for all electricity suppliers by the year 2020.

“Lompoc is meeting that goal,” said Mayor Mike Siminski. “We’re at about 35 percent now.”

The city achieved the 2020 goal this year, by signing a long-term contract to purchase a larger amount of

geothermal generated energy.

In addition to the city’s geothermal energy, which is primarily produced at plants in Lake County, Calif., energy is generated by a dam on the Stanislaus River. Lompoc owns a portion of both facilities, as a member of the Northern California Power Agency.

“So two-thirds of Lompoc’s energy generation is virtually carbon free,” Siminski said, referring to the additional

30 percent of the city’s energy, which is gathered from the Stanislaus, and purchased from state dams.

Looking to the future, Lompoc has also bought itself a share of the energy which will be generated at a natural gas power plant being built near Lodi, Calif., which will come online by 2012.

“That will be very cheap energy, from a very efficient plant that produces much less carbon than most,” Siminski said, estimating that the new plant will supply about

5 percent of the city’s needs.

According to the California Energy Commission, the rest of the state only averaged 13.5-percent renewable energy sources last year, leaving many energy suppliers only a decade to try to more than double their portfolio of “green” energy. One such company, Pacific Gas and Electric, has already signed agreements to purchase all the electricity expected to be produced by a wind-energy farm planned for the hills to the south of Lompoc.

“We’d be interested in doing that as well, signing on to get a portion of the energy from some wind or solar farm project, Siminski said.

While the city’s electricity customers can feel good about using energy from a leading agency on nonpolluting, and renewable energy generation, there has been a price to pay. Recently, the City Council approved a series of electric rate increases, which will mean commercial and residential rates will rise 31 percent by 2012.

Those increases, according to Siminski, were primarily to cover the rising cost of electricity on the volatile open market, and to help rebuild the utility fund’s reserve account.

According to the city’s Utility Department reports, even with the steep increases it will still take

10 years to rebuild the reserve

account to recommended levels.

Growing energy demands could also force the city to make expensive future energy acquisitions, because any future power purchases would also have to include at least 33 percent renewable energy.

Another reason Lompoc may need to find new sources of electricity is the traditional trend of geothermal energy production to slowly decrease over time, since the plants began in 1983.

Siminski said recent technical projects had allowed the geothermal plants to maintain their production levels, but there are no guarantees of steady energy in the future.

Siminski, who has been Lompoc’s representative with the Northern California Power Agency since 1992, said the city has “some other energy ideas, but nothing definite.”

Individual efforts

One way for Lompoc businesses and residents to lower their utility bills, as well as help the city meet future demand is through the use of photovoltaic (solar) panel systems.

Lompoc resident and solar technology proponent Martin van Enoo said installing residential solar energy panels makes good financial sense for property owners, as well as the city.

“I had to show my wife all the numbers: What I thought it would cost, and how much power we’d generate, and how much money we would save,” Enoo said.

After convincing his wife, and paying about $9,600 (after rebates and tax credit) to install a three kilowatt-per-hour system, Enoo found that reality beat his estimates.

“It’ll pay for itself in less than

10 years,” Enoo said.

Now, Enoo said he finds the system actually produces more than enough electricity for his house in the summer months, with the city purchasing the excess, and only slightly less than what he requires in the winter.

Enoo is not alone, either. Lompoc resident Jim Price said his solar panels give him a surplus of energy year-round, giving the city a small amount of cheap and locally generated power source.

The city has at least 17 residential units either with, or in the process of receiving, solar panel systems.

The newest house to have a system installed is the mayor’s own.

“The panels should be installed on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week,” Siminski said.

“I’m kind of like a kid, with them going in. I want to see my power meter run backwards,” he  said.

Whatever their funding source, Siminski said solar energy has the added benefit of providing electricity just when buying it and transmitting it to Lompoc costs the most — the middle of the day, when much of the state is trying to operate their air conditioning units.

“Every bit of electricity we don’t have to buy on the volatile open market is good for Lompoc,” Enoo said.

As testament to the popularity of installing the panels, last week the City Council approved an additional $249,000 in funding to the city’s rebate program for residents. The city rebates help reduce the cost of installing a new photovoltaic system and make the system more cost effective, according to the panel owners.

 Federal funding has also helped with solar installation. The Santa Barbara County Housing Authority announced in September that it had received $1.2 million in federal stimulus grant funding to install solar panels on an apartment complex at

300 W. College Ave.

Whether on an individual or on a citywide basis, Siminski said large upfront costs seem to be a necessity of any solution to increasing renewable energy.

“We are paying heavily to protect the Earth, but it’s the right thing to do.”

November 29, 2009