You may remember when we featured Katie D. and her family on our blog back in December in “A personal struggle with climate change.” She talked about how her family was able to power their home and their car with their rooftop solar panels. Back then, she said, “I never go to gas stations anymore. I’ve stopped giving oil companies my money. I feel a bit like a junkie who’s finally starting to kick her addiction.” We’re proud of Katie and her family – they are the perfect example of Santa Barbarans who are powering the clean energy movement.

During CEC’s Earth Day Festival, we asked festival goers to make an “Earth Day Resolution” – like a New Year’s Resolution, but focused on how to make a difference for the environment. Katie has already done so much to lessen her environmental impact, so we were curious what her resolution could be. This year, she said “My Earth Day Resolution is to share my story about how it is possible to actually save money and be carbon neutral at the same time. You can always do more, and we all have to do that because it’s not up to one person.”

She decided the best way for her to share her story was through video. She created the video below to share her calculations for the payoff of an electric vehicle powered by solar panels. Over a 10 year period, her family will save $15,125! That’s not to mention the environmental benefit. Fueling her car will emit 0 pounds of carbon dioxide, whereas a fossil fuel car would emit 114,500 pounds over 10 years.

Watch her video

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We are proud to report 35,765 people attended Santa Barbara Earth Day this year! (And thanks to our stellar volunteers, who tracked entries from 6 locations). It's a beautiful thing when so many people can gather to share information, celebrate, and empower one another. Check out our "Live" site to re-live the magic: live.sbearthday.org

Our favorite stats

• 923 people took a test drive in one of the new electric vehicles in the Green Car Show. Thanks to the teams from Chevy Volt, Coda, Ford Focus, Nissan Leaf, and Toyota Prius for making this possible.
• We counted about 1,500 bikes at the festival. 850 took advantage of free valet bike parking in Bike World. Still more came by foot or bus. Special thanks to our partners at the SB Bicycle Coalition, MTD, and Santa Barbara Car Free.
• The amount of water distributed by our water stations this year was equivalent to 2,000 plastic bottles.
• 85% of the waste generated by the festival was diverted from the landfill. Special thanks to Green Project Consultants for hand sorting each piece.

Special thanks

A huge thank you to our core production and marketing partners: +One Events, LoaTree, New Noise, and Oniracom, as well as dozens of other production partners and hundreds of volunteers. We invite you to join us in applauding their incredible energy and commitment.

You can still give back

For those who participated in our text donation drive, many thanks. If you didn't get a chance, you can still make a $10 donation by texting "Earth" to 50555 and replying "Yes." We'll be pulling our raffle winners tomorrow - prizes include a bicycle, water bottles, and more. Your support allows us to host this event year after year.

You can also donate online.

Tell us what you think

We want to hear from you! What were the highlights? Suggestions for next year? Respond by Thursday at 5pm and we'll enter you in a drawing to win some fossil-free lifestyle gifts.

• Festival attendee? Take this survey.
• Sponsor or exhibitor? Take this survey.
• Volunteer? Take this survey.

Share your photos

We know you took some great shots -- please share them!

You can post your photos and videos to one of our sites (including Facebook, Instagram #sbearthday, or Flickr) or mail a disc to CEC (26 W. Anapamu St. 2nd floor) for a chance to be used in festival promotional materials for 2013.

CEC helped cut the ribbon on 6 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Solvang, along with the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, City of Solvang, and County of Santa Barbara representatives.

These are the first of dozens of stations being constructed throughout Santa Barbara County as part of Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint America program. Funding for the stations comes from the Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, and private sources.

CEC played a major role extending this program to the Santa Barbara/Ventura area as well as identifying and coordinating sites with local partners.

These new charging stations charge at 240 volts, twice to four times as fast as a 120 volt outlet. The stations allow pure EV owners (like the Nissan LEAF, and the upcoming Mitsubishi I, Ford Focus EV, and Tesla Model S) the opportunity to “top-off” thus extending the places they can visit. They also allow plug in hybrid drivers (like the Chevy Volt, and the upcoming Toyota Plug in Prius) the opportunity to charge up and travel more miles on electricity instead of gasoline.

There are 3 charging locations now active in Solvang, each with 2 charging ports, for a total of 6 charging stations—all open 24/7:

• Veterans Memorial Hall Parking Lot at 1745 Mission Drive
• City Parking Lot 1 at 1576 Mission Drive
• City Parking Lot 3 at 482 Alisal Road

Parking is free in Solvang’s public parking lots and the City of Solvang currently charges $1.25/hour to use the stations.

Soon, the County of Santa Barbara will greatly expand this network, installing 18 charging stations at 9 County owned sites in Santa Maria, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria. Cities in San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties have also added charging stations in recent months to join the hundreds of public stations that are now available throughout California.

CEC welcomes these charging stations to our region, and excitedly awaits the dozens of more coming on line soon.

 

Press coverage

KEYT [Video Clip]

Santa Maria Times Article

Santa Barbara News Press Article (PDF)

 

Benefits of EVs

EVs provide significant environmental and societal benefits to EV drivers, such as:

• New electric cars achieve around 100 mpg equivalent, according to their EPA labels. Electric motors are 3 times more efficient than gasoline motors, with little waste heat, noise, or emissions.
• EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, benefitting society with cleaner air.
• EVs reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 75% in California, as our grid is very clean, with very little coal. We currently get 20% of our electricity from renewable energy, and this is mandated to increase to 33% by 2020. Thus EVs get cleaner as they age, unlike gasoline cars, which get dirtier.
• EV owners can charge up for $1/gallon equivalent if they take advantage of cheap, off peak nighttime charging. The money saved can be spent on local goods and services, instead of going to foreign countries.
• EVs and solar panels go great together. 2 kW of solar allows an EV driver to “drive on sunshine” for 12,000 miles per year. 2 kW of solar currently costs around $7,000-8,000 after incentives – much cheaper than paying for 25 years of gasoline!
• EVs are very fun to drive, with lots of torque right off the line.

Join CEC at workshops for prospective electric vehicle (EV) owners, with info about rebates, home charging units, and public fast-charging stations. The workshops will also include test drives and a conversation with current EV owners. Come to one of the workshops to learn one of these vehicles might work for you, or pass this announcement along to friends that might be considering a new car.

Free lunch is included but requires an RSVP.  RSVP today >

Santa Barbara Workshop

Saturday, January 28, 2012 | 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Santa Barbara MTD | 550 Olive St. | Santa Barbara, CA 93101
More event information...

Camarillo Workshop

Sunday, January 29, 2012 | 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Pleasant Valley School District Auditorium, 2222 E Ventura Blvd., Camarillo, CA 93010
More event information...

 

Why is CEC so interested in electric vehicles?

These revolutionary new vehicles are not only fun to drive, but they achieve approximately 100 mpg equivalent, produce zero tailpipe emissions, and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 75% (or 100% if you plug in to rooftop solar panels). By the end of this year, there will be a dozen new models of EVs of all shapes and sizes on the market.

I have quite a bit of experience with solar systems in terms of remote telecommunications facilities where utility power isn't practical. These involve large battery banks and over-engineering to ensure reliable power for radio, microwave, and telephone relay stations that need to be up 24/7.

So, the idea of a solar system in a suburban area with plentiful utility power didn't make sense to me at first. Electricity is readily available at reasonable rates. It would be satisfying but not practical to pull the plug on Edison.

Then, I stumbled across a mention of solar "co-generation" on Southern California Edison’s website. Co-generation is when a customer connects a source of power such as solar or wind into the electric grid. With solar, California supplies a rebate to pay part of the cost, and the federal government provides an additional tax credit.

On further research I found the idea of co-generation kind of exciting. I can use the entire utility grid as my energy storage. I don't need a battery and I don’t need to design the system any bigger than my load.

I was also considering my electric vehicle (Chevy Volt). I decided the convenience of the 240-volt charger was worth it. Rebates cover half the cost of the charger and installation. If I came home from a day trip with a depleted battery I could plug in for a couple of hours and then go out to dinner on electricity. However, the Volt would be away from home when my solar panels would be generating power from the sun.

With co-generation, I just produce more power than I need when the sun shines, feed it to Edison, and then pull power from Edison at night to run my home and charge the car. I also switched to a rate plan that gives me much lower electric rates at night and credits me at higher rates in the daytime when the sun is shining and I'm producing electricity. Some friends were predicting that the Volt would cause my electric bill to skyrocket –ha!

[Click image to see more...]

As luck would have it, I have a great roof for solar. It is south-facing and doesn't have any vents or obstructions. I had enough area to install panels that could generate about 4kW peak power. I'm good with my hands and have a lot of experience with wiring and electrical things. My initial plan was to install the solar as well as the level 2 car charger myself.

I quickly changed my mind about installing the solar because I'm not comfortable with the permit process and roof penetrations kind of scare me. I shopped around and chose Coastal Constructors to provide the hardware, do the mechanical work and take care of the permit paperwork. They did the wiring at the same time as they wired the charger, and everything passed inspection. Modern panels are a lot better looking than the earlier ones. I'm very happy with the appearance as well as the performance.

Another modification I considered was the inverter systems. Most grid-tied systems connect a number of panels in a series string to produce high-voltage DC, and then put in a large wall-mounted inverter to convert this to conventional AC power. I was not excited about this design. A fault in one panel can bring down a whole string. Due to the high DC voltages, the wiring is complicated.

I discovered a company in the Bay Area, Enphase, that does things differently. They manufacture micro-inverters. Each micro-inverter handles the output from one solar panel. One mounts underneath each panel and they connect in parallel. If one panel or inverter goes bad, the rest of the array keeps going. The DC wiring is low-voltage and needs no conduit.

In addition, my solar system has its own website that not only shows real-time and historical data for every panel, but can also alert me if there's ever a problem. If there's debris such as bird droppings on or an electrical problem affecting one panel, the other panels are not affected, and I get an email describing the issue and showing me which panel is in trouble.

It's now been in service for almost 10 months. I've ”banked” a bit over 6 megawatt-hours of electricity with Edison. Carbon offset a bit over 4 tons. Every month since installation I've produced more electricity than I've consumed. Not only am I driving on daylight, I'm powering my house with it and even providing solar energy to my neighbors via the grid-tie.

Kermit was wrong. It's easy being green. Take a look at my solar production >

Michel Saint-Sulpice is a gentle soul who takes his responsibility for the planet seriously, and always has. Growing up in France, his family was careful with resources, and he has carried forth that strong environmental ethic into his adult life as a Santa Barbara architect.

Michel aspires to be fossil fuel free by the end of 2012, and he’s well on his way. Solar panels provide his home with electricity, and he’s been driving a Toyota Prius since the second generation first hit the market. He completely removed his lawn to make room for a beautiful drought tolerant landscape. Greywater and collected rain water (with back-up well water) will soon irrigate a “food forest.” On the drawing board is a geothermal system that will heat the entire house (with cooling option), all his domestic water and his swimming pool year round. Since Michel produces all his electricity, his carbon footprint will be zero, and he will not be paying electric and gas bills any longer. He has taken these measures to express his deep appreciation for nature and beauty.

Recently, however, Michel took his environmental commitment to a new level, after attending a screening of “Revenge of the Electric Car,” co-sponsored by CEC in October. He was so inspired by the film and the subsequent panel of speakers (the director, two of the film’s stars, a Chevy Volt owner and a Nissan Leaf owner) that he went out and bought an all-electric Nissan Leaf the next day!

Before seeing the film, Michel had done his homework and knew he wanted to take advantage of the current government incentives to promote electric vehicles. But that night, he knew the time was right.

The added bonus for Michel is that when he plugs in his new electric vehicle at home, he has enough solar panels (63 of them!) on his roof to power his home and the car. In fact, Michel is part of a growing group of “early adopters” who are driving around town in cars powered by sunshine instead of oil.

One hour’s worth of the sun’s rays hitting earth could supply all of earth’s electricity needs for a year. Only if it could be captured, that is. Michel captures as much of that sunlight as he can, to power his life and energize his spirit. He envisions a future where all households are run efficiently and powered by the sun. Part of his life’s pleasure is working towards achieving this himself, and extending his grace (and extra energy) towards others.

I never go to gas stations anymore. I’ve stopped giving oil companies my money. I feel a bit like a junkie who’s finally starting to kick her addiction.

It started with changing a light bulb or two. Then I started eating more local food from a CSA and less meat (Cows are up there with cars when it comes to emissions.) They were little things, like deciding to only buy California wine (not a major a sacrifice!). But they were enough to make me start realizing that there are things I can DO besides wring my hands when it comes to reducing my carbon footprint. I went a little further -- creating a video that has over 60,000 views on YouTube (link in footer) and a website on ocean acidification. However, I was still using electricity and driving a minivan.

My husband and I are not generally early adopters. We're careful with money. But we did our research, and so our next step was not just a vote for a new technology, but a practical move as well. We put ourselves on a waiting list for the Nissan Leaf, an all-electric car. In the meantime, we got solar panels on our house, producing way more energy than we needed for our energy-efficient house -- specifically planning for the electric car. That meant that when we got the car this summer, we just drove home and plugged it into the sun.

We haven’t invested in a charging station. We just use a regular outlet. We charge it overnight and can drive up to 100 miles on a charge. We try to maximize all our miles on it, so sometimes we get low on miles. Once when we got low, we stopped at my in-law's house, plugged it in there, went for a pleasant walk while it charged a bit, and then headed home. But generally speaking, 100 mile range is more than enough. It re-charges when you are stopping and going downhill so you can drive it up the mountain, and then watch it recharge all the way down.

The Nissan Leaf fits my two kids and a dog, and handles better than any car I've ever driven. And I really love never having to stop for gas! But it wasn't until a friend's daughter stopped by the other night with a bunch of her college-age friends to show off the car, and when another friend's 13-year old daughter took a picture of it with her smartphone to share with her friends, that I realized that while we chose it sight unseen purely to reduce our emissions, we've found ourselves driving something that really is very cool.

And indeed, with its touch-screen and rear camera, it feels like a luxury car, but without the luxury price. In fact, a $5,000 tax rebate we got covers the lease for the first year. Since we don’t pay for gas, the car is essentially free right now.

Obviously solar panels aren’t free, but they are a sound investment. We spent $18,000 after tax rebates on lots of solar panels. Here’s the simple math: $50/month electric bill + $200/month gasoline bill = payoff in 6 years. Electric is a lot cheaper than gasoline so it’s not exactly a fair comparison. But with expected inflation in electric costs and the fact we can now get paid for excess energy we produce, it still makes sense from a strictly economic perspective.

I can’t kid myself that I’m home free when it comes to the environment. What about the energy used to make my new electric car? What about all those plane flights we like to take? However, I am closer than I have ever been to feeling like it is indeed possible to be carbon neutral.

A few years ago, when my son was about 6, he liked me to read him Calvin & Hobbes comics. In one comic, Calvin says, “Hey mom, what’s this I hear about the greenhouse effect?” “They say the pollutants we dump in the air are trapping in the sun’s heat and its going to melt the polar ice caps!” “Sure, YOU’LL be gone when it happens, but I won’t! Nice planet you’re leaving me!”

His mom says, “This from the kid who wants to be chauffeured any place more than a block away.”

Calvin replies, “Hey, nobody told me about the ice caps, all right?”

Re-reading this comic to my young son 20 years after it was written in 1989, I realized how long I’ve known about global warming. And it’s not just theoretical anymore. The ice caps are melting. Disasters of all sorts (fires, floods, hurricanes, droughts) are increasing, and this is with 1-2 degrees of warming -- not the 11 or so that may happen in my children's lifetime. It will get worse, but our actions now determine how much worse.

The good news is that the technology now exists to dramatically reduce our emissions -- if we’re willing to make doing so a priority. And, at least in the case of things like the electric car, it’s actually a whole lot of fun!

Are you in?

Fossil fuels have carried us a long way. But after 100 years, it's time to call it. The age of fossil fuels is over.

If we do it right, we can shift into a new economy fueled by clean, renewable energy. One that results in a net gain of $1.5 billion to our county’s economy by 2030. This is CEC’s mission, and we need your help.

Step 1: Watch

Check out this fast-paced 2-minute video about a movement in Santa Barbara to get off fossil fuels in one generation:

Back in August, we reported that Coulomb Technologies would be installing 50 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Santa Barbara as part of the ChargePoint America program. This week, CEC learned that we can expect even more charging stations throughout our region thanks to a similar project overseen by Ecotality, which recently expanded its efforts to include the Santa Barbara and Ventura regions. The EV Project is a $230 million public-private partnership that aims to put 14,000 EV charging stations across America. CEC is now working with them to identify appropriate locations on the South Coast.

Why electric?

CEC is excited about electric vehicles because they offer revolutionary, not incremental, benefits compared to gasoline cars. They get around 100 mpg equivalent, produce zero tailpipe emissions, and reduce greenhouse gases by 75% on California's green grid. Installing public charging stations for electric vehicles makes it easier to drive electric. Read more about CEC's efforts >

How you can help

CEC is working with Ecotality to help identify locations to install these charging stations in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. An ideal spot would be accessible to the public – such as a business, workplace, or hotel. It helps if you are the owner, an employee, or a loyal customer who can help champion the process. If you know of a good location, please contact CEC's Transportation Specialist, Michael Chiacos at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

I never intended to be green. I confess to having owned and thoroughly enjoyed driving a Plymouth Barracuda equipped with a big-block V8 and twin four-barrel carburetors in my younger days. I'm a technology geek, so interesting and elegantly engineered technology has always appealed to me, cars included.

The Prius Era

Think back to the 2004 Prius. Yes, it got great gas mileage, but that car was thinking out of the box. It was visually different from any car on the market, a little geeky but kind of cool in a VW Bug sort of way. Plus, the tech was awesome for 2004. It had voice recognition, electronic entry, cool sound system, navigation, bluetooth, all of the bells and whistles. Technology geeks like myself were buzzing about it, so I got on the waiting lists at a couple of dealerships. As I was waiting and reading, other techies started talking delivery and my anticipation began building.

Boom - out of nowhere, I saw an online posting about a dealer in Barstow that had a red Prius, fully loaded. I was on the phone in a flash, closed the deal, and hopped on a Greyhound to Barstow the next day. It was a very cool car, a technology wonder, and a whale of a lot of fun.

The cool tech has changed me. I find myself becoming greener and greener. Watching my MPG readout has become a video game. Could I beat my old high score? Could I get 600 miles on one tank (11 gallons)? Plus, using the old line, "Come here often?" to that Hummer driver at the gas station who gave me weird looks, well *that* was sheer joy.

Fast-forward 7 years. The Prius has over 110,000 miles on it. It's never had a brake job and isn't going to need one for a long time to come. The engine, likewise, doesn't have the wear and tear that you would expect after that kind of mileage.

Into the World of EVs

The buzz shifted in 2009. Spotting another Prius on the road isn't a rare event anymore. They're everywhere. The new buzz was about going to the next level. People started talking about adding battery capacity to the Prius to increase the storage capacity and hence the mileage. I heard a lot about the electric Tesla, which was way out of my price range, but would blow the doors off of my old Barracuda. Then I started hearing rumors of an electric Chevy.

A co-worker had a chance to drive an EV-1 back in the day and still raved about it. Pretty soon the talk about the Volt really spiked. I was interested. The Prius was still going strong but I was ready to explore. I went to the GM websites, followed the buzz, and visited the local Chevrolet dealer. They had lots of slick color brochures on Chevy trucks, Corvette, Camaro, etc. but nothing solid on the Volt. I left the dealership with a black-and-white photocopy of the PDF from the GM website stapled to the guy's business card. “Not ready to take an order but I'll take your card. Don't call us, we'll call you.”

I wanted this car.

July 2010 rolls around and California is one of the first markets. They're available for pre-order and the Santa Barbara dealer is on the Volt list. Back I go. Different salesman. This time I left with a grainier photocopy copied from the first, stapled to another business card. At least he wrote my name down and said he'd call.

I returned to the fan sites and blogs. After a few weeks, people are posting confirmed order numbers and target build dates. The GM sites were exploding with new information.

Back to Graham I go. I make an appointment with the guy who previously sold me a car there. I walk into the dealership with my checkbook literally in my hand. The sharks are circling as soon as I step onto the lot. A Volt? “Well, I'll put your name on *my* list, which is better than that other guy's list, and we'll call you and you can come back in a few days and put down a $5,000 deposit. We don't know how many we're getting or when. Don't call us, we'll call you.”

Oh-kaay....

What's going on? It's now coming up on Labor Day 2010. I pick up the phone and call the Chevy dealer in Lompoc. "We have 4 Volts allocated to us out of the first build cycle and one is sold. Come on up and give us a $500 refundable deposit. We sell at sticker, no markup."

Well, Lompoc is 40 miles away but it’s worth the drive. 20 minutes after walking in the door I have my very own GM order number. 40 miles just happens to be the electric range on the Volt. Welcome to my next video game. When I pick it up fully charged, could I make it home without using any gas?

There's a $7,500 federal tax credit and my car rolls off the assembly line just before GM shuts down for Christmas. I picked up the car on December 30, 2010. I made it with 2 days to spare. I lost the video game, though. The gas engine came on at Winchester Canyon. I guess I'll have to practice my technique.

Nine months and 7,000 miles later my best all-electric range is 46 miles. I've filled the 9-gallon tank 6 times, typically on trips to Los Angeles. It's a very rare day that I use any gasoline at all tooling around town. The dashboard indicator says my oil life is down to 80% so I guess I'll need to get it changed in another year or so.

I guess I'm green now, but the cool tech made me do it.

I love this car.

Did you watch the film "Who Killed the Electric Car," about the auto industry's backlash against California's electric car requirements and how GM crushed the EV1? The film is a cult classic and inspired many of today's electric vehicle owners or future owners to pledge that their next car would be electric.

Now for Revenge

On Wednesday, October 5, 2011, CEC and The Sustainability Project are bringing an exclusive preview of the sequel - "The Revenge of the Electric Car" - to the gorgeous Marjorie Luke Theater. The film captures the auto industry, one of the mightiest industries of all time, at a time when it is almost forced to collapse by the Great Recession, and being pushed by government regulations to design greener and more innovative products. Reviewers note that "Revenge" director Chris Paine gained extraordinary access to the automotive industry's movers and shakers, and tight editing and a spiffy soundtrack make the film highly entertaining. Even for those not interested in cars, the film has received rave reviews:

"Fascinating ... a hugely entertaining portrait. (Revenge) makes for a refreshing and ultimately very effective change of pace compared with the strident, propaganda approach so often employed by similar documentaries. Even the most skeptical global warming deniers are apt to find themselves rooting for this disparate group of risk-takers who may well be spearheading the long delayed transition from oil reliance to new technology."
-Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

Watch the Trailer

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Today's Electric Vehicles

The modern electric vehicles like the Tesla, Chevy Volt, and Nissan Leaf are a revolutionary product compared to gasoline cars, at least from the perspective of environmental impact and energy independence. With EPA ratings often exceeding 100 mpg equivalent, they produce zero tailpipe emissions, and on California's green, domestic grid, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent. Most inspiring, home owners with solar panels on their roof can power their car without using a drop of oil or generating emissions.

Event Details

On Wednesday, October 5, CEC will be hosting an electric car show from 5:30 to 7 pm. The Mobile Café will be on site selling nutritious food, and local businesses and organizations will provide informational displays. We will have reserved parking for electric vehicles (EV), in hopes of having the largest collection of EVs in Santa Barbara. If you are driving your EV to the screening, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to reserve parking.

The film will begin at 7 pm and will be followed by a panel of EV experts and owners, who will join documentary director Paine for a discussion about the benefits and difficulties of EV ownership and the future of the EV industry. CEC Transportation Specialist Michael Chiacos will also join panel and will highlight the latest in Plug in Santa Barbara's efforts to build charging stations and make it easier to drive electric vehicles.

The event is a benefit for The Sustainability Project, and tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 on their website, along with more information, at www.TheSustainabilityProject.org or for $15 at the door.

RSVP on Facebook >

Tucked away on a peaceful cul-de-sac that backs up to Elings Park, Dan Emmett's home wouldn't be thought of as an environmental statement at first glance. The solar paneled roof – barely visible except from the upper lawn in the back yard – might even go unnoticed. But Dan and others like him are starting a quiet revolution, built around the idea that solar electricity can power their homes, hot tubs, and even cars.

Dan and his partner Henri Bristol had a 3.5 kW solar panel system installed on their house last year, in part because they were expecting delivery of one of the first all-electric vehicles to be sold by a major car manufacturer, the Nissan Leaf. "I signed up for the Leaf the day they opened the waiting list – even before the cars had been manufactured," he says.

As CEO of a solar energy startup company, Dan wanted to get as close as possible to driving without fossil fuels. "I didn't want to just get a hybrid; I wanted to be completely off petroleum. I wanted my only trips to the gas station to be to be for a pit stop," he says.

"I like the security of knowing that if something were to happen – an earthquake, disruption to the supply of gasoline, or other crisis – I can still get around," he says. "I love how quiet the car is, and also how clean – no tailpipe, no emissions. My bedroom is above the garage, so I like the peace of mind of not having fumes or combustibles just a few feet under my pillow."

He also points out the financial benefits. By day, if his solar panels are generating more electricity than he's using, that electricity is fed into the Southern California Edison grid, where he avoids paying the highest peak period rates of 55 cents per kWh. At midnight, when he charges the car under special "time of use" rates for electric vehicle owners, he pays 10 cents per kWh.

For the most part – like most electric vehicle owners – Dan charges his car battery at home. When he was on the waiting list for his Nissan Leaf, the company sent out a licensed electrician, who recommended that he install a 220-volt charging unit in his garage. "The car does come with a charging kit for a 110-volt outlet, but they call that a 'trickle charge.' It is very slow – you wouldn't even get a full charge overnight." He opted for the 220-volt charging unit, the cost of which was partially offset by a federal tax credit.

With the solar panels on his roof and the new charging station in his garage, Dan was almost ready to leave Santa Barbara in his sunshine-powered car. He just had one problem – something electric vehicle drivers call 'range anxiety' or the fear of running out of juice. He recalls, "I didn't just have range anxiety, I had range panic. I made it to L.A. on the original charge, but it was really dicey – I was in heavy traffic, and I had two miles left on the battery when I got to my destination. When they said that the car had 100 to 120 mile range, I knew that was variable, but my trip was 87 miles door-to-door and I thought I would have more leeway." Since then, he's gotten more accustomed to driving electric and is a pro at finding public charging stations on longer trips.

"It's amazing where technology is – everything is intuitive and transparent. To anyone who is thinking about doing something similar, I would say do it. You will see your gasoline bills and electricity bills go away. It's a lifestyle choice that I think is only going to get easier as the technology improves."

Article modified from original submission to Seasons Magazine.

Dr. Timothy Rodgers and his wife Pamela live in a 1948 home near Hendry's Beach. Over the years, they've been on a mission to retrofit their home to make more energy efficient. They've replaced single paned windows with double paned, added insulation to the attic, and replaced halogen lights with LEDs. Making a home more efficient is highly recommended before adding solar panels because "you don't want to have to pay for a system that's any larger than you need," Timothy says.

After talking with 6-8 solar contractors and getting several bids, he contracted with REC Solar to install an 8.4 kW solar system on a hillside on his property in 2009. "We went with an 18-year lease – they do all the maintenance, manage any equipment that might break, and will replace the inverter when it dies, which is expected to be after 10 years."

Recently, Timothy was ready to make another statement reflecting his environmental ethic. "I love cars, and I like the idea of electric cars. When the price of gas hit $4.50/gallon, I thought 'that's it!' First, I went to test drive the Tesla Roadster, then I went to the Community Environmental Council's Earth Day Festival, which includes a large Green Car Show. There were three Tesla owners showing their personal vehicles. I was still on the fence, but hearing them rave about their experiences really helped." He ordered an electric blue Tesla Roadster that week.

The only concern that Timothy had was with the range of the car; in electric vehicles circles, this is known as "range anxiety." Although he still owns a gas-fueled sedan, he wanted to see how the Tesla would handle on a longer trip to San Francisco. Because public charging stations are just starting to come online, his ideal midpoint stopping place – King City – didn't have a station. Instead he stopped for a couple of hours in Atascadero and briefly in Salinas, both times refueling at a Rabobank, which offered free public charging, fueled by solar panels on the roofs "so I was still driving on sunshine, even away from home."

Despite what might seem like complex technology, Roger repeatedly said that the process to install solar and purchase an electric vehicle was seamless, with user-friendly systems that allows him to engage with the technology. "There is a transmitter on my solar inverter that sends out data on the amount of electricity that I generate and use, which I can pull up on my computer," said Timothy. "It's kind of nerdy, but I like to see how I'm doing."

Combining solar panels and electric vehicles makes ditching fossil fuels closer than ever. Transportation and home energy costs make up the vast majority of the average person's energy use. By eliminating reliance on dirty energy in these areas, Fossil Free by '33 is well within reach.

Article modified from original submission to Seasons Magazine.

You may already know why we think electric vehicles (EVs) are so cool. EVs are around 3x more efficient than gasoline vehicles – that's how the EPA rates them around 100 mpg equivalent. They produce zero tailpipe emissions, and on California's clean grid, they produce around 75% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a comparable gasoline car.

Since the new generation of EVs started to hit the market this year, most of the questions we've heard are about range, permitting, rebates and how to actually purchase one. Here's what you need to know:

Range and charging

• Many commuters find that they can make most, if not all, of their daily trips solely on electricity. The Chevy Volt has a 40 mile battery range and then can travel over 300 miles on gasoline. The Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus EV, and many other all-electric vehicles have a 70-100 mile range.
• Most recharging is done overnight at home. CEC's Plug in Santa Barbara is working to get more public stations in place this year.
• Many drivers install a 240-volt (Level 2) charging station in their garage and recharge the battery at night, when the cost of electricity is lower. Visit SCE for a calculator with various charging rates and other information. It generally takes about 3 to 8 hours to recharge from a Level 2 station, depending on the vehicle.

Permits

• To install a 240-volt charging station, contact a licensed electrical contractor. The process is similar to installing a hot tub – your electrician will arrange the permit and inspection.

Rebates

• A federal tax credit of up to $7,500, and a more limited California rebate of $2,500 are available.
• More information on rebates...

Making a purchase

• These vehicles are in such high demand that manufacturers are increasing production volumes. Meanwhile they are difficult to find on the lot, so contact a local dealer to get on the waiting list.
• By 2012, there are expected to be a dozen electric vehicles on the market, so the supply may be less constrained.

To track the latest news on these models, stay in touch with CEC through Facebook and our e-newletter.

Also, check out a green car show to see them for yourself. CEC hosts three shows per year where you can check out all the new electric vehicles. Shows in 2012 are scheduled for: Santa Barbara (April 21-22), Ventura (July 4) and Santa Maria (TBD). You can watch a 6 minute tour of the 2011 Green Car Show on CEC's website.

Do you already own an EV? We want to hear about your experience! Shoot a quick email to Michelle at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Electric cars get 100 mpg equivalent, produce zero tailpipe emissions, and reduce carbon pollution by 75% on California's green electric grid. Many Santa Barbarans are buying electric cars and we're starting to see a Volt or Leaf on the road almost every day. Since more public charging stations will make it easier to drive electric, CEC has been working to bring stations to our region.

Since we last wrote about this project in May 2011 we have some exciting news.

Coulomb Technologies -- a leading provider of electric vehicle charging stations -- has doubled the number of universal charging stations that it is looking to install in Santa Barbara County, from 25 to 50.

It has also expanded the scope of the program to include North County, and we are working with partners to place 100 stations in Ventura County.

Over the last 2 months, CEC has been helping Coulomb review potential locations for the charging stations, throughout Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Solvang, Santa Maria, and Lompoc. The next step will be to determine the top 50 sites based on highest potential use, lowest installation cost, and geographic distribution throughout the county. We are hoping the first stations will be installed and open to the public this fall.

The charging stations are being installed for free as part of the ChargePoint America program, a public-private $37 million partnership to put in 4,600 charging stations in key cities across America by the end of 2011. In our county, installing a new 240 volt charging station built in a parking area that was designed with EVs in mind – such as the Granada Garage or Isla Vista's new solar carport parking lot – could be as inexpensive as $1,500. In other sites where service upgrades, new panels, trenching, or other retrofits are needed, the price could be as high as $15,000. This highlights the advantage of "pre-wiring" for EVs during new construction or renovations.

Santa Barbara has been identified as one of the top four early-adopter markets for electric vehicles in Southern California. Earlier this year, major car manufacturers began offering fully-functional models such as the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt, and about a dozen models will likely be available next year.

Learn more:

• Visit www.PlugInSB.org
• Follow our updates on Facebook
• Subscribe to our blog to get CEC updates delivered to your email.