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Small-Scale Solar

for Social, Economic & Environmental 

Justice

Nicole Capretz

EPA Good Neighbor 

Board

June 16, 2011
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Environmental Health Coalition

 EHC builds grassroots campaigns to improve 

the health of children, families, 

neighborhoods and the natural environment 

in the San Diego/Tijuana region

 We believe everyone deserves the 

opportunity to live a healthy, safe and 

prosperous life
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CEJA – California Environmental 

Justice Alliance

 CEJA is a coalition 

of base-building 

organizations. 

 We build healthy 

communities from 

the ground up.

 Played big role in 

defeating Prop 23

 Asian Pacific Environmental 

Network 

 Center for Community 

Action & Environmental 

Justice 

 Center on Race, Poverty & 

the Environment

 Communities for a Better 

Environment

 Environmental Health 

Coalition 

 People Organizing to 

Demand Environmental & 

Economic Rights (PODER)
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Goal of Presentation

 What is at Stake in Renewables Discussion

 What is the Solution

 Our Recommended Actions/Approach
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The Problem...What is at Stake

 High Pollution Levels

– surrounded by freeways, oil refineries, diesel 

equipment, buses, trucks

 High Asthma Rates

 High Poverty Levels

 High Unemployment:

 January 2011 

– San Diego County = 10%

– Our communities = 16%-20%
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Does Future Look Better??

 Climate Change

 Extreme Weather

 First and Worst 

Impacts

 Least Prepared

 Least Able to Adapt
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―Heat-Island‖ Effect
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Lack of Air-Conditioning/Cost of Air 

Conditioning
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Lack of Transportation 

(To Get to Cooling Centers)
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Increased Air Pollution—

Higher Asthma Rates
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SOLUTION = Green Energy 

Investment/Green Economy

 Clean Air

 Clean Infrastructure

 Jobs

 Healthy Homes

 Neighborhood 

Revitalization

 Money Flowing into 

Community/Wealth 

 Taking Control of 

Energy Future
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Local Solar = Permanent Jobs

 Equipment Manufacturing & Assembly: 

manufacturing of system components, inverters, solar 

cells, panels

 Professional Services: Financing of projects, small 

business loans, debt and equity services, legal services

 Installation: system design, engineering, construction 

and integration

 System Monitoring: performance monitoring, 

reporting, operations and maintenance
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Some Progress, But....

 We have trained workers, but few jobs

 Solar still not accessible to majority of lowincome or even low-moderate income 

residents 

 Utilities going for larger-scale solar to meet 

RPS goals (in lieu of urban installs)
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200 MW Solar Plant in SD Desert....5 

Permanent Jobs

 Imperial County takes step in solar direction

June 8, 2011

Imperial County is taking its first steps into the solar industry.

The county Board of Supervisors approved the largest solar project it’s handled to date, a 200-megawatt, 946-acre site west of Calexico.

The Imperial Solar Energy Center South project by Tenaska is a start for the county into the solar industry, said Supervisor Gary Wyatt. In order to grow, to 

have solar panel factories and to attract more solar companies, a project needs to start it off.

“This project is helping us to be more competitive,” he said. “It’s getting us in a position to do things we haven’t done before.

“It’s a beginning we’ve waited for a long time,” he added later.

The rest of the board agreed, voting 5-0 for the project.

“If we shut it out now, then forget about anything else coming forward,” said Chairman of the Board Jack Terrazas. “Forget about anybody listening to you. 

Forget about anyone having interest in developing here.

“So this is an opportunity,” he added. “It’s an opportunity to accept an industry that is certainly either mitigable or minimal.”

The project owned by CSOLAR Development, a Tenaska affiliate, is 

expected to create 300 jobs during the 18-month construction phase, 

and five permanent jobs on the site south of Highway 98 on the 

border.

 Copyright © 2011, Imperial Valley Press
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Solar in SD County....

Our Communities are Outlined in Green
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What we want....

 Feed-in-Tariff designed with social/economic justice 

issues (so homeowners and businesses can sell the 

electricity they generate back to utility)

 Better and cheaper financing for EE and solar

 Local Hire provisions in utility contracts and 

government-agency contracts

 Solar and construction companies reaching out to 

nontraditional neighborhoods
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Encouraging news...

 CA Governor has confirmed it’s commitment 

to 12,000 MW of local renewable systems as 

part of economic development plan

 Governor’s office has committed to 

integrating social, environmental and 

economic justice issues into implementation 

plan and...

 Giving us a seat at table