California Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, has earmarked $5.2 billion in a revised budget proposal released Friday to fund a “strategic electricity reliability reserve” – an up to 5,000 MW resource that the state can tap into when the grid is particularly stressed.
Proactive efforts by the Helix Water District have saved thousands of dollars per year in the district’s energy costs, and are helping it transition to renewable energy.
Helix buys most of its electricity through the State of California’s Direct Access Program and the electric service provider it contracts with, Calpine Energy Solutions.
Proactive efforts by the Helix Water District have saved thousands of dollars per year in the district’s energy costs, and are helping it transition to renewable energy.
Helix buys most of its electricity through the State of California’s Direct Access Program and the electric service provider it contracts with, Calpine Energy Solutions. Helix has worked with Calpine since 2007 to manage the district’s energy costs and its move to renewable resources. It recently renewed its electricity-purchasing contract with the San Diego-based company that sells electricity. Helix relies on utilities like SDG&E, Southern California Edison, and PG&E to deliver it.
Helix negotiates contracts with Calpine that allow the district to lock in the price it pays for electricity. This limits the district’s exposure to events that cause energy costs to increase, like reduced hydropower production due to the drought, and higher natural gas prices due to the war in Ukraine.
Calpine has also secured the renewable energy supply Helix needs through 2030. Calpine sources renewable energy from a portfolio of developers, including a new solar power facility in Riverside County. This will protect Helix and its customers over the next eight years, as market prices respond to increased demand and competition for renewable energy.
“For the last several years we’ve seen double-digit savings as high as 18% on electricity,” said Helix Assistant General Manager Brian Olney. “This year, with all that’s going on in the world and the market, we are doing very well for our customers.”
“We want stable prices for electricity because that helps stabilize water rates for our customers,” said Helix Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. “And we want the district to do its part to meet statewide goals for the use of electricity from renewable resources.”
Helix also reduces costs by improving energy efficiency. In 2011, the district installed solar panels on its operations center in El Cajon that generate 90-100% of the facility’s electricity. In 2012, they retained DHK Engineers to perform an energy audit of all of the district’s facilities and operations.
“Implementing the recommendations from the audit reduced our annual energy use by 11%,” Olney said.
The next step at Helix is transitioning into electric vehicles. The district began the transition in 2019, with a grant from SDG&E to install electric vehicle charging stations, and rebates from the State of California on six Toyota Prius.
“This year,” said Helix Operations Director Kevin Miller, “we are testing Ford’s new electric pickups. We like to see companies move in this direction because when they take a step forward, Helix Water District takes a step forward.”
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
Helix Water District recently renewed its electricity-purchasing contract with San Diego-based Calpine Energy Solutions, a company that sells electricity but relies on utilities like SDG&E, Edison and PG&E to deliver it. Helix has worked with Calpine since 2007 to manage the district’s energy costs and its move to renewable resources.
Sprawled like a gigantic swimming pool atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan is an asphalt-and-clay pond holding enough water to produce electricity for 1.6 million households.
It’s part of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant, which uses simple technology: Water is piped from a lower reservoir — the lake, in this case — to an upper one, then released downhill through supersized turbines.
Supporters call these systems “the world’s largest batteries” because they hold vast amounts of potential energy for use when needed for the power grid.
The hydropower industry considers pumped storage the best answer to a question hovering over the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy to address climate change: where to get power when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
(Editor’s Note: The San Diego County Water Authority and the City of San Diego are partnering on the proposed San Vicente Energy Storage Facility project. More information: www.sdcwa.org/projects/san-vicente-pumping-facilities/)
Temperatures on Earth will shoot past a key danger point unless greenhouse gas emissions fall faster than countries have committed, the world’s top body of climate scientists said Monday, warning of the consequences of inaction but also noting hopeful signs of progress.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change revealed “a litany of broken climate promises” by governments and corporations, accusing them of stoking global warming by clinging to harmful fossil fuels.
“It is a file of shame, cataloguing the empty pledges that put us firmly on track toward an unlivable world,” he said.
The California Independent System Operator approved a transmission plan Thursday that includes 23 projects, estimated to cost nearly $3 billion, to cope with the dramatic increase in renewable generation and forecasted load growth in its footprint.
California is progressing toward its goal of achieving 100% renewable and carbon-neutral electricity by 2045, and agriculture may be an integral part of the solution.
Farmers statewide have invested in renewable-energy technologies near vineyards, row-crop farms and atop walnut dryers. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 8% of California farms have an on-site renewable-energy system.
Aaron Barcellos, who farms row crops and trees in Merced and Fresno counties, took advantage of federal tax incentives and invested in constructing two solar systems that total 1.4 megawatts to offset the farm’s energy usage.
Three cities in Northern California may see a change in their energy bill if a proposal to buy power from a renewable energy company is approved.
“The prices have moved up here over the years,” said Grace Henderson.
Henderson has lived in Manteca for 25 years and says the place has only gotten pricier.
“Inflation is an issue right now, so all the prices are higher when you go to the gas station and the grocery store so that’s a major issue,” she said.
The Water Utility Climate Alliance has added the Water Authority’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to its mitigation case studies library. The case studies provide valuable information and inspiration for greenhouse gas mitigation or sewage thermal energy use projects from concept to implementation for water utilities across the U.S.
Water Authority Senior Water Resources Specialist Goldy Herbon said case studies are developed in partnership with WUCA. Contacts are provided in each case study to facilitate follow-up and enable interested readers to learn more. WUCA recognizes the importance of greenhouse gas mitigation as a key climate adaptation strategy and an issue of climate leadership in the water sector.
“By sharing our efforts and experience in GHG reduction with our peers across the U.S., we hope to set an example for other industries and business sectors, leading to even more mitigation efforts,” said Hebron. “The case studies are by no means an exhaustive list, but it is a great starting point for water utilities exploring the potential of implementing their own GHG mitigation projects. Additionally, WUCA is open to adding more GHG projects to its roster.”
The Water Authority greenhouse gas mitigation case study is on WUCA’s webpage.
The Water Authority installed solar panels at three locations in 2011: its Kearny Mesa headquarters and Escondido operations center; and the Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant.
Energy generated by the solar power systems reduces the Water Authority’s energy costs as well as GHG emissions, making agency operations more efficient for water ratepayers. Combined, the solar power systems will reduce the agency’s energy expenses by nearly $3 million over 20 years. The solar power systems were installed at no cost to the Water Authority through a 20-year power purchase agreement with CleanCapital.
Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. Photo: Poseidon Water
The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, which supplies nearly 10% of San Diego County’s drinking water, is also featured as a case study. The plant’s energy recovery project, part of its High-Energy Efficiency Design, uses state-of-the-art pressure exchanger technology to recover and reuse a significant portion of the energy from the reverse osmosis process.
The Water Authority recently earned Climate Registered gold status from The Climate Registry for verifying and publicly reporting its greenhouse gas emissions. The effort fosters transparency for the agency’s climate mitigation initiatives and will help the Water Authority track and validate emissions reductions in the future.
The Climate Registry operates North America’s largest voluntary registry for greenhouse gas emissions. The Water Authority’s 2019 and 2020 inventories were verified and published in The Climate Registry’s public database in November, earning the agency gold status for both years.
The Water Authority first developed its Climate Action Plan in 2014 and updates it every five years. GHG emissions against a baseline and tracking progress toward State of California goals. Annual GHG inventories are provided to the board of directors.
The Twin Oaks Reservoir dual solar array total production is roughly 3.6 mWh annually, enough to power 340 homes. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
The Water Authority’s GHG mitigation case studies offer crucial examples of progressive GHG mitigation projects at water utilities with lessons learned during implementation. The selection of case studies represents a wide range of project types (pump optimization, wind power, and battery storage) to provide a strong starting point for utilities to learn from each other. Many of the projects can be applied equally to wastewater and stormwater utilities.
Water utilities have a unique role to play in mitigating GHGs due to the high energy usage of the water industry and being a reliable purchaser of energy, as well as being a trusted leader for other industries and business communities. A key objective for WUCA is for the alliance to continue developing practical examples and case studies of climate adaptation and climate mitigation.
The Water Authority works with its 24 member agencies to deliver water affordably and efficiently across San Diego County, and the agency has championed energy efficiency and environmental sustainability for decades.
