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Battery Storage is a Key Piece of California’s Clean Energy Transition. But There’s a Problem With Fires.

If California is going to meet its ambitious goals to transition from electricity using fossil fuels, the state will need energy storage to shoulder a significant amount of the load.

While the number of installations are on the rise, a persistent problem keeps coming up — fires igniting at battery storage facilities.

San Diego Ranked ‘Greenest’ City in the U.S. Thanks to Clean Energy, Environment Policies

San Diego was ranked the “greenest” city in the United States, thanks largely to clean energy sources and environmentally friendly policies, in a new study by WalletHub.

The Miami-based personal finance website compared the 100 largest cities using 28 indicators ranging from greenhouse-gas emissions per capita, green job opportunities and public transit to organic farms, bike lanes and air quality.

California Electricity Pricing Exploded in the Last Three Years, Far Outpacing Inflation

Energy Toolbase, a financial modeling platform specializing in solar and energy storage that collects nationwide electricity tariffs and rates, has published an in-depth analysis on the inflation of California’s electricity rates over the past decade. The analysis found that the state’s electricity inflation far outpaced generation inflation, averaging 15.3% from the 2020 through 2023. This surge came on the heels of a comparatively modest six-year span, which saw an average inflation of 1.6%.

One of California’s Poorest Counties Could Be Key To Future of Clean Energy

Sonia Herbert of Bombay Beach wants people to know that California’s Salton Sea isn’t all dystopian sunbaked abandoned homes, poverty, ominous toxic dust and decaying nostalgia. It’s also a place where people live and find beauty around the mirage-like lake in the desert.

Newsom Seeks to Streamline Infrastructure Projects

Governor Gavin Newsom recently introduced a series of proposals to expedite infrastructure projects. The legislative package seeks to speed up the construction process while also streamlining permitting and court review.

O.C. Sanitation to Demo Tech That Kills ‘forever Chemicals,’ Turning Waste Into Water, Clean Energy

What happens after you flush your toilet? For 2.6 million county residents, the answer to that question can be found at a 110-acre plant in Fountain Valley operated by the Orange County Sanitation District.

The industrial site, along with a similar setup in Huntington Beach, is where approximately 185 million gallons of sewage is treated in a complex process that essentially digests biologic material into its basic components.

Poseidon Vows 100% Clean Energy for Desalination Plant in Huntington Beach

As Poseidon Water gears up for next month’s final permit hearings on its controversial Huntington Beach desalination proposal, the company signed a non-binding agreement Tuesday, Feb. 22, recognizing a “goal” of 100% clean energy for the massive power needs of the plant.

The surge of new greenhouse gases resulting from those needs is among numerous objections to the operation, and opponents remain skeptical Poseidon will follow through with its 100% clean energy promise.

Wave. Offshore Wind. Geothermal. Are These the Next Power Resources for San Diego County?

In addition to renewable energy projects featuring solar, wind and energy storage, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved looking at the potential of wave energy, offshore wind and geothermal to someday provide electricity in unincorporated areas of the county.

Agencies Seek Private Partner to Develop 500-MW San Vicente Energy Storage Project

The San Diego County Water Authority has issued a request for proposals seeking a full-service private partner capable of developing the 500-MW San Vicente pumped energy storage project, planned jointly by the Water Authority and the City of San Diego.

The partner agencies aim to maximize the value of the existing San Vicente Reservoir for on-demand energy generation to support the state’s clean energy goals.

California’s Clean Grid May Lean on Oil, Gas to Avoid Summer Blackouts

California, struggling to balance its clean energy push with the need to boost tight power supplies and avoid rolling blackouts, will lean more on fossil fuels in coming weeks to keep the power on if scorching heatwaves stretch its grid.

The Golden State, which has among the world’s most aggressive environmental policies, faces a potential supply shortfall of up to 3,500 megawatts during peak demand hours in the coming weeks. That is about 2.6 million households worth of electricity supply.