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Wind Power News: California
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
In the next 10 years wind turbines could be constructed in the Humboldt Bay
Within the next ten years, wind turbines could produce renewable energy for Humboldt county. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management conducted an environmental assessment of the wind energy area within Humboldt bay and found no significant impacts. Auctioning the area to developers is the next step and is said to be happening soon. Humboldt bay is said to be the perfect spot to house wind turbines and produce renewable energy, but many concerns come with bringing a new industry into . . . Complete story »
Tesla Megapack battery caught fire at PG&E substation in California
The fires in the energy storage systems at Moss Landing are reminiscent of incidents involving Tesla Megapacks in Australia. They also underscore the challenges of adopting new technology to improve the efficiency of the power grid, and to make greater use of electricity from intermittent, renewable resources like wind and solar. Complete story »
California is awash in renewable energy — except when it’s most needed
As California suffered through an epic heat wave this month, state officials pleaded with residents to conserve electricity. Almost simultaneously, power grid operators were rejecting thousands of megawatts of solar and wind energy that could have provided a cushion to get through the crisis. The explanation illustrates one of the paradoxes confronting California as it rushes to transition to a clean-energy economy: The state has built up so much renewable energy production in recent years that it can rarely use . . . Complete story »
Mojave Desert tribes aim to turn a sacred mountain into a national monument
Of particular concern are 62,371 acres within the proposed monument boundary that have no special protective designations and are vulnerable to mining operations and large-scale wind and solar energy projects. A year ago, the Bureau of Land Management dealt a significant blow to Crescent Peak Renewables LLC, the American subsidiary of Sweden-based Eolus Vind AB, which wants to build a wind farm on 9,100 acres within the proposed monument’s boundaries. The BLM’s Las Vegas office gave the proposed Kulning Wind Energy Project a “low priority” status — a classification indicating that it is unlikely to be authorized. Complete story »
Berkeley to move businesses to solar and wind energy plan
The city of Berkeley will enact an opt-out policy to switch all Berkeley businesses to a 100% renewable energy-sourced utility plan beginning in October. The energy provider for the plan will be East Bay Community Energy, or EBCE, and the electricity will be wind and solar powered. The policy will represent a roughly 2.3% increase in rates per kilowatt-hour, according to an Aug. 16 citywide press release. “With the cost of solar and wind energy production decreasing, the negligible increase . . . Complete story »
Lake County Planning Commission to discuss cell and wind tower projects
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Planning Commission will meet this week to discuss several projects, including one involving a cell tower in Clearlake Oaks and towers to measure wind speeds in Lower Lake. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. The agenda is here. To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link. The webinar . . . Complete story »
Energy commission adopts ambitious offshore wind goals that could accelerate Morro Bay wind farms
The California Energy Commission voted today to move forward with a historic target for offshore wind energy in the state, setting a goal they say could power almost 4 million homes by 2030 and 25 million homes by midcentury. Ahead of the vote, the Offshore Wind Now Coalition held a press conference outside the California Natural Resources Agency building in Sacramento. Laura Deehan is the director of Environment California, one of the nonprofits involved in the coalition. “I am so . . . Complete story »
Wrangling over renewables: Counties push back on Newsom administration usurping local control
Kings County Supervisor Joe Neves guided his pickup to a stop next to a long line of chain-link fencing. On one side of a gravel road stood row after row of glinting solar panels. The automated mirrors pivot and turn, following the sun in its daily path across the Central Valley sky. Neves, a big man with a wispy Santa Claus beard, was showing off the county’s newest mega solar power project, still under construction on 1,600 acres. A state-of-the-art . . . Complete story »
Will California’s offshore wind farms damage underwater life? Here’s what scientists are finding
MORRO BAY, San Luis Obispo County – As sites for two massive wind farms are due to be leased soon off the California coast, conservationists are concerned whether renewable energy development can coexist with whales, seabirds and a lucrative fishing industry. That’s partly what scientists who spent five days on the research vessel Fulmar last week were trying to find out. They set out along the Big Sur coast on a foggy morning to collect underwater sounds of baleen whales, porpoises, . . . Complete story »
Newsom has a plan to keep the lights on in California — using fossil fuels
Major environmental groups haven’t taken a position on Newsom’s proposal to streamline project approval, after an earlier provision that would have eliminated additional layers of review — including from the Coastal Commission — was removed. Local governments, though, are furious. In a letter opposing the bill, the California State Assn. of Counties, Urban Counties of California, Rural County Representatives of California and the League of California Cities said renewable energy facilities “can have enormous impacts on local communities.” They said the Energy Commission approval process is “overly broad, usurps local control, excludes local governments from meaningful involvement in major development projects within their jurisdictions, and could result in even more litigation.” Complete story »
