World’s Largest Solar Energy Farm to be Built in California to Meet Community Choice Aggregation Demand

As reposted 7/13/07 on WorldChanging -Editor

 

Fresno, California sits at the south end of one of the sunniest and hottest valleys in North America, the San Joaquin. The San Joaquin Air District is also one of the most polluted in the nation, with asthma rates many times higher than the rest of the nation and numerous air quality action days every summer causing significant health and business impacts.

Upon this tableau, the city of about a half million residents along with 11 surrounding communities and two counties announced last week they would together be developing the largest solar facility in the world. It will be more than seven times the size of the earth’s largest solar energy farm, now in Germany.

Map sources: geology.com, WIPP.Energy.gov

The planned 80 PV solar plant, eventually covering one square mile, will be developed by San Francisco-based Cleantech America and managed by the Kings River Conservation District (KRCD), one of the state’s new community choice aggregation districts.

“We’re so excited about what community choice can do for us,” said Dave Orth, Manager of KRCD.

Community choice allows a city, county or group of communities such as the KRCD to band together to build and produce their own energy and then transmit that over lines owned by public or investor-owned utilities. In the case of the KRCD and other California communities following in its path, the goal is to control development of new energy sources, particularly renewables, which can be solar, wind, biomass or other non-polluting technologies. 

Community choice was legislated by California’s General Assembly (AB 117) in 2002 after rolling power blackouts of 2000-2001 and skyrocketing energy prices spooked the state into action to ensure that it would be more independent from the market manipulation of out-of-state companies, such as Enron.

California also passed a law that year requiring that 20 percent of all its electric power will come from renewable sources by 2010, and 33 percent by 2030. Renewables not only will provide jobs—thousands in the case of the new solar farm--but they will not add to the extreme air pollution experienced by the San Joaquin Valley as do coal and gas-fired power plants.

“Air quality is a very significant issue.” Orth said. “To improve air quality was the biggest priority for the communities that have come together as part of community choice.”

Mark Stout, San Joaquin Valley Manager of Community and Government Relations for Cleantech America, the project's developer, had spent his career advocating renewables, clean air and green economic development before he joined the company earlier this year. He was a consultant for the Union of Concerned Scientists, and helped campaign for the California Rewewable Energy Portfolio Standard during renewable energy's dark days--the 1990s.

"There's a lot of effort in economic development in the Fresno city and county area being put into clean tech, particularly into renewables, as a solution  that addresses air quality and job growth," Stout said. Besides the jobs and clean energy, he said the price and availability of other energy sources are becoming less stable, making solar much more attractive. "We're seeing the day when North America will be stripped of natural gas."

"The vision of community choice is to let local governments make decisions about generating energy in a way that best benefits their region, and hopefully that will result in making more sustainable choices, economically and environmentally," Stout said.   

Other California cities potentially following the community choice aggregation path of Fresno and the KRCD include San Francisco, Oakland and Chula Vista, along with the Bay Area’s Marin County.

Comments

[Knut Cunningham]

Hey, interesting background on the solar pow wow! I have a question. First, let's pretend that the state has run out of natural gas completely and coal is out of the question. This leaves nuclear and small hydro.

Do you think that all of California's electric needs could be met in this situation by building solar PV farms? What would we do at night or on cloudy days--or can wind and batteries fill the gap?

I've heard talk of electric cars and larger industry-sized batteries helping out the grid during cloudy or peak hours, but would they fully tide us over? At night too? Or maybe there will come a time when our electricity is rationed? (ie, rotating blocks of power, and refridgerators only get powered every other hour or so...

Sorry this is a long question!
Look forward to your comment.

Knut

[Warren]

Thanks for writing Knut,

First of all California also has a fair share of large-scale hydroelectric. This is not counted as renewable because these big ol' dams silt up and become ineffective after 30-80 years besides destroying habitat for native fish, such as salmon. But some of the better managed dams can serve as transitional power sources as we move to clean energy.

It is also clear that solar cannot be seen as a total alternative to fossil fuels. To use San Francisco as an example, which has about same population as the Kings River Conseravtion District, it needs about 900 MW of power total, so 90 MW of solar power (euqivalent to the new 80 MW farm plus other solar sources) would be about 10 percent. Wind, small scale hydro and biomass can also play important roles, for let's say another 25 percent, making 35 percent of total power. That still leaves 65 percent power needed even in this best-case scenario.

Forget coal, which is environmentally too expensive in terms of greenhouse gas costs, even with carbon capture, etc (which makes it more expensive economically, too).
Natural gas should be available from overseas imports for a good 100 years, but with constraints of supply disruptions from hurricanes, terrorism, political events, etc., causing prices to fluctuate greatly.

We should also factor in increasing statewide population (37 million now growing to 50 million over next 20 years or so, with many of those new people moving to the hottest Valley and Inland Empire areas, thus requiring much more energy-intensive air conditioning).

With the latter in mind, the key issue is that renewables can help meet rising energy demand without constructing more fossil fuel burning plants or blackouts. The state came within one percentage point or so of rolling blackouts during numerous days of the record July heatwave last year becuase of record peak grid demand. If the grid went down during such 110-120 degree temperatures, you would have seen many more deaths than the 140 reported and the 520 or so now thought to have actually occurred statewide http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/12//news/state/15_08_487_11_07.txt
And of course peak energy demand in California almost universally occurs during the hottest, sunniest times of day: we don't get cloudy hot and muggy like the east.

There are also leapfrog technologies that may be used: hybrids as building power sources, tidal power, etc., not to mention new solar technologies that will make it possible to wrap buildings and windows in solar cells that generate energy.

So it will be interesting to see what happens--but solar is becoming a much more important component of the energy future for the State of California than it currently is, and for good reason.

[Knut Cunningham]

Wow, these are great answers. I really can't see natural gas imports being a huge help due to domestic needs and drawdown in the exporting countries (Indonesia, Qatar, Iran, Russia) - not to mention the instability you mention.

For the other 65%, I'd see a complete ban on incandescents being helpful, with mandated LED/CFL night lighting. Or maybe task forces to determine who will receive electricity at night.

I forsee a future in which the poor will also have equitable access to electricity if community choice aggregation makes big headway.

If SF uses 900MW of power, I'm sure that the city could easily do with using far less--perhaps 500MW within five years, by sharply increasing green building incentives, conservation education and outreach.

If every business swapped out a desktop PC with CRT monitor for a laptop, you'd cut average power usage by 70% right there!

Cheers!

[Warren]

Thanks,

Energy efficiency, or Negawatts as Amory Lovins calls it, is missing piece I did not address. You are absolutely right!

[Bob S.]

Interesting link:

"Army Forsees Natural Gas Crisis"
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/003358.html

[Marla]

Are you aware of the 40-50 yr secret cross-connecting and re-routing of Fresno's water lines? Illegal, unauthorized, no permits or inspections.
The ringleader is a former appraiser for the City of Fresno. He is now in the insurance business, preying on elderly clients with offers of "help with home repairs." As the sewer/water lines are cut, the City's risk analyst steps in and tells the resident that this is due from "negligence in sewer maintenance." She takes countless pictures of things that will be stolen and much more.
The next step is to call in a plumber - what a coincidence, the insurance agent's son is a licensed plumber. And what these gentlemen are doing is beyond belief.
With all their contacts to the City, keeping this operation next to the city's heavy equipment makes the major construction appear legitimate. Sewer lines and manholes are being relocated - I have photographs and the city sewer layout as verification. Needless to say, in some cases, the resident is never seen again - deed(s) to property forged. (Verified by handwriting expert.)
The ringleader boasts that his son is going to be Fresno's newest multi-millionaire in the solar business. Look what has been done to Fresno - turned inside out and patched back together. Major building/health code violations, etc. Much worse. I wish we had been given a choice.

[Marla]

First paragraph mentions Freso's pollution and escalation in asthma. 100% true. Your opinion on this, please:
Even under strict supervision, excavation of sewer lines is one of the worst pollutants known to man. Imagine 40+/- yrs of unauthorized altering of sewer lines. Relocating sewer manholes. Done when altering structures to cross-connect and re-route water lines - unauthorized and illegal. Walls down/back up. No permits or inspections. Mold, termites, leaks, etc. We were recently informed the air in our homes is now 3-5 x worse than outside. Is it any wonder?
I for one, was never sicker in my life until this went on here. Foot infections; neighbor's foot amputated which appeared to be caused from toxic, contaminated soil. He died, age 50. For months, I required an inhaler to breathe. Ongoing respiratory problems. Only later did I learn that NONE of this had ever been authorized. Using city equipment has prevented anyone from questioning this operation all these years.
Reporting it to the City of Fresno turned out to be the worst crime of all. Heinous atrocities accompany this operation - former appraiser in charge of this and more. Worse. See my webpage for info + pics. www.myspace.com/marlalk or http://blog.myspace.com/marlalk

[Atila - Solar Power Expert]

I would like to see more projects like this all around the world ;)