Renewable Energy

GREEN POWER After introducing an ordinance last week that would give Glendale Water & Power customers the option of powering their homes using 100% renewable energy, the City Council on Tuesday will hold a final vote to approve the program. Called the Green Partners program, businesses and residents could opt to lock in a fixed, five-year “Green Partners Charge” in lieu of the more volatile fuel adjustment charge, which is adjusted in a regular basis to cover the changing costs of power and fuel purchases for the utility.

CITY HALL — Nearly a year of interim leadership for Glendale Water & Power will come to a close in February after the City Council on Tuesday voted to confirm the appointment of a new director for the city-owned utility. Glenn Steiger will officially take over as director of the utility Feb. 20, replacing interim Director Dan Waters, who was brought in April 30 to fill the void left by former Director Ignacio Troncoso in March 2006. Council members and city officials said his background in renewable energy and extensive experience with water issues played prominently in their decision to choose Steiger during a nationwide search that yielded a pool of 20 candidates.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — Being a California utility could get a lot more challenging under strict state-imposed greenhouse gas emission goals on the horizon, especially if they fail to take into account recent strides Glendale Water & Power has taken in going green, officials said. Earlier this month, state regulators took a major step forward in defining exactly how every economic sector will contribute to slashing California’s greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels. Utilities will shoulder a major portion of that effort when the schedules are established, power officials say, but in the meantime, many of them — including Glendale’s — have carried on with their own “greening” plans, unsure whether those efforts will count toward forthcoming emission-reduction goals.

GLENDALE ? Glendale Water & Power is using the content of a brand new website to spell out its efforts to make the city more environmentally sound, and to tout its goal of having the city running on 20% renewable energy in the next 10 years. "We've been working hard in several areas ? in energy efficiency, renewable energy and reductions in CO2 emissions," Power Management Administrator Ned Bassin said. "All of that is to benefit the environment and reduce global warming." In working toward energy efficiency, the utility company has spent about $20 million over the past several years, Bassin said.