CleanTech OC Daily - 7/9/12

Guest Juice: Street Light Rate Realignment
A new player emerged in Southern California Edison’s general rate case to shed light on street light matters, bringing much-needed correction to the utility’s rates and practices. The newly formed Coalition for Affordable Street Lights (CASL) intervened in Edison’s rate design phase at the California Public Utilities Commission. CASL’s experience is another reminder of the value of sunshine. The southern California cities, which are themselves subject to many open meeting and sunshine laws, shed light on Edison’s rates and practices, and in the process worked to rejuvenate street light ratemaking.

California Bill Helps Pave Way For Lithium Gold Rush

A bill that is making its way through the California Legislature will clear the way for a technology that mines lithium from geothermal brine in the Salton Sea region. The bill’s beneficiary is Simbol Materials, a startup that aims to revive the U.S.’s lithium industry.

Energy Storage Projects Continue to Increase Worldwide

Pike Research reports that the total number of energy storage projects deployed and announced rose 8%, from 600 to 649 during the first half of 2012. This increase is due to the growth of technology towards commercial availability. Asia currently has the largest base of energy storage (with just over 60 gigawatts of capacity) which is most likely due to the existing R&D in the region and the large battery manufacturing infrastructure.