California’s grid shatters battery discharge record

BATTERIES: California’s grid operator sets a new single-day peak battery discharge record of 8,300 MW after surpassing 10,000 MW of installed storage capacity. (PV Magazine)

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SOLAR:

• A utility and developer bring a 300 MW solar-plus-battery energy storage system online to provide power to customers and a planned Phoenix-area Meta data center. (Renewable Energy World)
• New California legislation allows an irrigation district to oversee proposed utility-scale solar development on Central Valley agricultural land. (SJV Water)
• A Colorado ski area installs a solar array and wind turbine on a chairlift to provide power to heat resort facilities. (Unofficial Networks)

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PUBLIC LANDS: The Biden administration designates the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off California’s coast, banning new offshore oil drilling and other development on more than 4,500 square miles of ocean. (Los Angeles Times)

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OVERSIGHT: California officials work to fortify state climate and environmental regulations against a potential second Trump administration by preemptively preparing legal challenges and forging agreements with corporations. (New York Times)

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OIL & GAS:

• California advocates look to block a company’s effort to reopen an offshore pipeline that spilled about 3 million gallons of oil in 2015, saying the aging and corroded equipment is at risk of rupturing again. (Los Angeles Times)
• The California Senate passes legislation that would authorize regulators to require oil refiners to maintain minimum gasoline reserves in hopes of moderating pump price volatility. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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UTILITIES: Wyoming lawmakers consider industry-crafted legislation that would limit utilities’ liability for non-economic losses suffered from power equipment-sparked wildfires. (WyoFile)

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WIND: California commercial fishermen file a lawsuit accusing state regulators of skirting federal law by issuing sonar testing permits to offshore wind developers along the state’s central coast. (Cal Coast News)

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BIOFUELS: Oregon residents and advocates push back against a proposed biofuel transfer facility, saying it poses safety and environmental risks. (OPB)

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HYDROGEN: A pet food company adds a hydrogen fuel cell truck to its California delivery fleet to test the technology’s scalability. (Biofuels Digest)

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GEOTHERMAL: The federal Bureau of Land Management sells 66 geothermal leases on about 219,000 acres in Nevada and nets $7.8 million. (Las Vegas Sun)

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EMISSIONS: California regulators begin crafting rules aimed at limiting dairies’ methane emissions, but advocates worry proposed exemptions could preemptively weaken them. (Canary Media)

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NUCLEAR: Academic advocates cast doubt on a proposed advanced nuclear reactor under development in Wyoming, saying it will cost far more than other carbon-free energy sources and has a radioactive waste problem. (Casper Star-Tribune)

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COMMENTARY:

• A California editorial board calls on voters to approve a $10 billion climate bond measure in November, saying it will help the state address the “slow-building disaster” caused by global warming. (Los Angeles Times)
• A recent study shows how heat pump water heaters can save money on energy and also provide a storage resource for the grid. (CalNEXT, sponsored)

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