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>> >>PEGGY PICO: IN THE LATEST U.S. CLEAN TECH LEADERSHIP INDEX, SAN DIEGO RANKED NUMBER
SEVEN OUT OF 50 CITIES RATED FOR CLEAN TECHNOLOGY. THE STUDY DONE BY ENERGY RESEARCH FIRM CLEAN
EDGE LOOKED AT NEW PATENTS, CLEAN ENERGY GENERATION AND VENTURE FUNDING FOR THREE GREEN TECHNOLOGY.
HERE WITH MORE ON WHY THE INDEX RANKING IS IMPORT TONIGHT OUR CITY IS HOLLY SMITHSON,
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CLEAN TECH SAN DIEGO. WELCOME.
LRTS, HOLLY, IN YOUR REPORT, THERE WAS ABOUT 800 COMPANIES IN SAN DIEGO THAT CAME UNDER
THE UMBRELLA OF CLEAN TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES. WHAT MAKES A COMPANY A CLEAN TECH COMPANY?
>> >>HOLLY SMITHSON: WE COULD FIND CLEAN TECHNOLOGY VERY BROADLY.
IT ENCOMPASSES A NUMBER OF VERTICALS THAT INCLUDE RENEWABLE ENERGY LIKE SOLAR AND WIND
AND GEO P THERMAL, IT ALSO INCLUDES CLEAN TRANSPORTATION, LIKE THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES
YOU SEE AROUND ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES AND OF COURSE THE ALL IMPORTANT SMART CITY.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: SMART CITY AS IN BEING WELLWIRED? >> >>HOLLY SMITHSON: THAT'S CERTAINLY THE
COMPONENT, SORT OF THE FIBER THAT LAYS DOWN THE INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE BY WHICH YOU
CAN START TO MEASURE AND ACTUALLY MANIPULATE YOUR ENERGY ASSETS WITHIN A GIVEN GEOGRAPHICAL
AREA. >> >>PEGGY PICO: AN EXAMPLE OF THAT I THINK
IS UC SAN DIEGO'S MICRO GRID. >> >>HOLLY SMITHSON: THAT'S RIGHT. UC SAN
DIEGO IS HOME TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST RENOWNED MICRO GRIDS.
IT HAS ALL THOSE ENERGY SYSTEMS I DESCRIBED EARLIER.
WHAT'S REALLY POWER IS YOU HAVE THIS DATA INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ENABLES YOU TO MANAGE
AND COLLECT IN REALTIME AND DISTRIBUTE THE ENERGY FOOT PRINT ALL ACROSS THE ENTERPRISE.
IN FACT, THEY HAVE 90% OF ALL OF THEIR ENERGY THAT THEY GENERATE ON CAMPUS COMING FROM RENEWABLES
AND OTHER CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES. >> >>PEGGY PICO: A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT. THIS
INDEX BASES RANKINGS ON A WHOLE LOT OF INDICATORS. GIVE US A COUPLE EXAMPLES WHERE SAN DIEGO
EXCELLED AND A COUPLE WE MIGHT NEED IMPROVEMENT. >> >>HOLLY SMITHSON: THE AREA WE RANKED TOP
WAS IN THE AREA OF CLEAN TRANSPORTATION. TODAY WE HAVE ABOUT 5,000 ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
YOU'LL SEE THE LITTLE CAR 2 GOES, THE SMART CARS OUT ON THE SAN DIEGO ROAD.
I THINK THAT'S A TRUE TESTAMENT TO THE SAN DIEGAN CUSTOMER.
THOSE ARE THE GUYS THAT ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN BEING THE FIRST MOVER, THE EARLY ADAPTER,
AND SO THEY'VE GOT 5,000EV'S ON SAN DIEGO ROADS TODAY.
AND OF THAT EV POPULATION, THAT ELECTRIC VEHICLE POPULATION, SIX OF THOSE ARE TESLAS, AND THOSE
ARE PRETTY FANTASTIC CARS. >> >>PEGGY PICO: WHERE DO WE NEED TO EXCEL
AS FAR AS WHERE CAN WE IMPROVE, I SHOULD SAY, WHEN IT COMES TO INDICATORS BEING HERE AND
HELPING OUR CITY GROW? >> >>HOLLY SMITHSON: CLEAN TRANSPORTATION
IS WHERE WE REALLY STACKED WELL AND FOLLOWED BY GREEN BUILDINGS.
THEN THERE WAS A RENEWABLE GENERATION WHICH WE TALKED ABOUT.
THE AREA WHERE WE THINK WE HAVE THE MOST NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT IS IN THE CAPITAL.
WHEN THINK ABOUT VENTURE CAPITAL, THAT USUALLY GOES NORTH TO THE BAY AREA, AND IN SAN DIEGO
BY� THE BOTTOM OF THE STATE SO FLOWS THE DOLLARS.
WE'RE HAVING TO LOOK LESS TOWARD THE VENTURE CAPITAL, AND MORE TOWARDS THE GOVERNMENT FUNDING
LIKE THE D.O.D. AND SOME OF THE OTHER AGENCIES INVESTING HERE.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT IMPACT, THE STATE LAW AB32, THE MANDATE YEARS
AGO FOR CLEAN TECHNOLOGY IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE POLICIES THAT ARE HELPING, AND SOME THAT ARE HURTING, MAYBE,
SAN DIEGO'S CLEAN TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY. >> >>HOLLY SMITHSON: I THINK WHAT WE SAW DURING
THE SCHWARZENEGGER ADMINISTRATION WAS THE INTRODUCTION OF ABTHREE 32, WHICH IS HIS LAND
MARK GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS ACT. THAT PUT INTO PLACE A NUMBER OF COMPLIANCE
REQUIREMENTS, A VERY COMPLEX CAP AND TRADE PROGRAM, AND THEN SOME SUBSEQUENT LEGISLATION
WHICH IS A NEW RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO STANDARD. ALL ALL OF THOSE SET OUT WAYS IN WHICH THE
UTILITIES AND THE CONSUMERS AND THE CORPORATIONS CAN REDUCE THEIR GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
THAT IN ESSENCE SIGNALED TO THE MARKET THAT THERE IS A VERY, VERY FROTHY MARKET PLACE.
THAT'S WHEN YOU HAVE THE COMPANIES AND TECHNOLOGIES TO BE EMPLOY WHO REALIZE THIS COMPLIANCE STANDARDS.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: SOME PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED THERE ARE SOME PERMITTING PROCESSES GETTING
IN THE WAY OF REACHING THAT MANDATE. >> >>HOLLY SMITHSON: YES.
WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO AS A STATE, WE'RE TRYING TO BE A GLOBAL LEADER, AS WE
GROW ECONOMY WE WANT TO CONTROL OUR GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND TAKE CARE OF OUR AIR
QUALITY CONTROL. WHAT HAPPENS IS YOU HAVE THE LOCAL POLITICS
THAT AREN'T REAL REALLY CONSISTENT WITH THE STATE AND THE FEDERAL.
YOU NEED TA MIKE SURE IF YOU SAY YOU'RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS YOU'RE NOT TALKING OUT OF BOTH
SIDES OF YOUR MOUTH. THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORT TONIGHT HAVE SOMEBODY
WHO'S FACILITY THE MARKET WHICH IS WHAT CLEAN TECH SAN DIEGO DOES AND MAKES SURE WE'RE ALL
SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE AND WE ARE ALL GET IT.
SO WE HAVE THAT BROAD BUY IN AND UNDERSTAND THE BENEFITS OF BEING IN THIS TOGETHER.
>> >>PEGGY PICO: I'M GOING TO HAVE TO CUT YOU OFF THERE, BUT I WILL SAY PEOPLE CAN GET
BOTH SIDES OF THAT STORY AS TRYING TO LOOK AT TALKING OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF YOUR MOUTH.
VERY INTERESTING TO ME WHAT IS BEING SAID THERE.
FOLKS CAN FIND OUT ABOUT THAT ON OUR WEBSITE KPBS.ORG, AND ALSO LOOK AT THE INDEX.
HOLLY SMITHSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH.