On January 25-26, 2018, we organized with the Department of Commerce a delegation visit of Brazilian technology, grid and utility experts to several sites in the Los Angeles – Orange County region that exemplify clean energy innovation in practice. The visit to California is one of a series on which we have collaborated with the Department of Commerce since 2016.

Highlights of this intensive tour included:

• The Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute, where workers are trained in state-of-the-art clean power technologies on a campus that produces as much energy as it consumes and that contains a microgrid that allows it to be self-sufficient in case of emergencies.
• Sustain OC, the Orange County partner for Energize California, one of four California Energy Commission–funded Regional Energy Innovation Clusters that help bring new clean energy technologies to market that reduce ratepayer costs and Ccnnect clean energy stakeholders across the region in order to strengthen the sector.
• UC Irvine Advanced Power and Energy Program, which among other research, is investigating improved microgrid efficiency, additional energy storage opportunities, and the integration of additional renewable energy systems within the microgrid. 
• The Port of  Long Beach, which has embarked on an innovative compilation of strategies that will provide reliability, resiliency, and economic competitiveness to the Long Beach port complex and its marine terminal tenants. Renewable energy technologies, other self-generation systems, controls, and energy storage will allow the Port to “island” operations from the local energy grid during times of emergency or outage.

More information about the US-Brazil Energy Collaboration