Energy Commissioner Douglas Discusses DRECP with Environmental Journalists

Imagine driving 60 miles in one direction, and then making a right hand turn and driving another 10.

That is an analogy that describes the 600 square miles of public land that can be potentially used for renewable energy in the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). California Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas spoke recently at the 2016 Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Sacramento during a panel discussion on renewable energy on public lands.

Her appearance comes on the heels of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) finalization of the first phase of the DRECP earlier this month.

The panel included Shannon Eddy, executive director of the Large-scale Solar Association and David Lamfrom, director of the California Desert and National Wildlife programs for the National Parks Conservation Association. Douglas’ analogy was meant to convey the enormity of the area that could be used for things like solar, and a response to concerns from the solar industry that not enough land was set aside for renewable energy in the first phase of the DRECP.

“The thing we were able to do with the DRECP… was find a middle ground between the drive to address climate change with renewable energy and the desire to keep the desert largely pristine,” Douglas said. “There is a middle ground because we don’t need the whole desert.”

The first phase of the DRECP covers 10 million acres of public land in Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. The first phase identified 388,000 acres of development areas of high-quality renewable energy potential on federal land.

The DRECP is a multi-agency effort between the BLM, the Energy Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The plan specifies species, ecosystem and climate adaptation requirements for desert wildlife in the plan’s first phase. In total, the plan identifies 5.3 million acres of lands for conservation. The plan includes protections for recreation areas on public land.

The second phase involves the management of renewable energy within 12 million acres of private lands in the desert.

At the conference, Douglas said the focus of the second phase of the DRECP will be speeding the permitting of renewable energy projects on private land.

That effort, which is happening at the county level, is already underway, said Douglas.

Read More

Marines Enlist Microgrid Technology to Provide Cover During Power Outages

To meet any contingency, threat or challenge that might arise, the United States Navy conducts live exercises to ensure it is well prepared to respond to "real world" situations. Some involve battle scenarios; some move sailors, Marines and materials halfway around the world; and some focus on disaster relief.  

But the Navy also conducts exercises to ensure mission readiness is maintained should the normal energy supply be disrupted, and increasingly, the service is turning to renewable energy. 

For several years, the Navy and Marines have been investing in innovative clean energy technologies as part of what it calls energy assurance – on-demand independent and sustained power to maintain critical and support operations at fixed locations, forward operating bases and remote locations. 

Once such test of the technology came a few months ago when Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar held a six-hour exercise to determine if clean energy technology could adequately fill the power gap if the electrical grid went down. Its public works building was disconnected from the local utility, but operations continued as normal powered by the installation’s microgrid system funded in part by the California Energy Commission. 

Microgrids are small-scale electrical systems that provide and manage power independent of the larger electric grid. They are being used worldwide to support facilities with critical energy needs like hospitals, industrial complexes, university campuses and now, military installations. Miramar’s system consists of a 230-killowatt solar panel array and a series of refrigerator-sized battery modules housed in large, stackable shipping containers. 

The Energy Commission has also funded microgrid projects at Twentynine Palms Marine Base in San Bernardino County and Camp Pendleton in San Diego.  

The California Energy Commission and the Department of the Navy will meet at Stanford University Oct. 12 to formalize their ongoing partnership that will help Navy and Marine Corps installations in the state transition to renewable energy alternatives to meet California and the Department of Defense climate and energy goals.

Read More

Navy Abandons Water in Test to Clean Military Ballistic Field Gear

Ballistic vests are a must-have item for Navy Seabees whose missions tend to put them in harm’s way. The vests are lifesavers designed to handle projectiles and shrapnel but, ironically, they can’t handle water, which means they are difficult to clean. But the California Energy Commission and U.S. Navy are collaborating on a project that could change that.  

In 2015, the Energy Commission awarded a $900,000 grant to Tersus Solutions to demonstrate a laundry process that uses liquid carbon dioxide instead of water to clean uniforms and gear used by the armed forces and first responders.

The year-long demonstration is being held at Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, where Tersus Solutions built a full-scale laundry to evaluate the technology’s ability to clean and decontaminate a variety of items such as Kevlar ballistic vests, flame resistant garments, sleeping bags, tents and field gear. The initial evaluation will be for the Seabee battle gear, but a wide variety of operational fabrics and garments used by troops will be tested and evaluated.

Water-based cleaning methods can compromise the protective capabilities of fabrics used for combat and emergency gear. The Tersus process uses carbon dioxide, an abundant and naturally occurring gas. When put under high pressure and temperature, it becomes a fluid with solvent properties similar to liquids. Once depressurized, it returns to its gaseous state, leaving items not only clean, but dry. The carbon dioxide is retained, filtered and ready for the next load.

The demonstration will highlight the system’s cleaning performance, reliability, energy savings, water savings and operating costs compared to current laundry methods. Tersus says it expects to reduce water use by 98 percent, energy costs by about 50 percent and overall operating costs by 30 to 60 percent. 

The California Energy Commission and the Department of the Navy will meet at Stanford University Oct. 12 to formalize their ongoing partnership that will help Navy and Marine Corps installations in the state transition to renewable energy alternatives to meet California and the Department of Defense climate and energy goals.

Read More

Energy Commission Helps Crimson Renewable Energy Facility With Expansion

The recent expansion of Crimson Renewable Energy’s ultra-low carbon biodiesel production facility leads to a tripling of production and puts Kern County on the map as California’s leading producer of advanced biofuels. 

That was the announcement made today at an event unveiling the newly revamped facility. The company showcased its expanded facility, which serves as a model for how renewable fuel production in California is creating green jobs, supporting the local economy, reducing greenhouse gases, and improving California’s air quality.

“We are thrilled to be in the forefront of the green energy economy,” said Harry Simpson, the company’s president and CEO. “With our expanded plant, Crimson is playing a major role in meeting the state’s growing demand for advanced biofuels and helping California achieve its carbon reduction and clean air goals while making a large positive contribution to the state’s economy.”

Crimson recently completed a multi-million dollar plant upgrade that was partially funded by a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission’s Alternative Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. The program provides up to $100 million annually for technology to reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels, curtail greenhouse gases and meet clean air standards.

“Transitioning to cleaner, low carbon fuels is a key component for California to achieve our greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, improve our air quality and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” said Energy Commissioner Janea A. Scott, who attended the event and toured the facility. “The Energy Commission is pleased to invest in projects like Crimson Renewable Energy’s biofuels project that will produce some 24 million gallons of low carbon fuel annually.”

The upgrades included expansion of steam and other existing systems as well as the installation of new second generation systems, which will enable the plant to reduce energy consumption and water consumption by 10 to 15 percent. The plant is now ramping up to its new full production level of 24 million gallons annually of ultra-low carbon biodiesel fuel made entirely from used cooking oils and other inedible raw materials.

“Our current production level generates carbon reductions that are equivalent to taking 43,000 cars off California roads and as we ramp up, this will be like removing 55,500 cars,” Simpson said. “The success of our facility is a prime example of why it is critical for the public and state’s policymakers to continue supporting the development of renewable transportation fuels, particularly ultra-low carbon advanced biofuels.”

Read More

Navy Fathoms the Possibilities of Biofuels

When the U.S. Navy was established in 1775, its success on the seas depended largely on a renewable energy source – wind. Since then, the Navy has seen coal, steam, diesel and nuclear energy power its vessels. And now, it is weighing anchor on a new source – advanced biofuels. 

Advanced biofuels are energy sources derived from a wide range of waste-based materials such as animal manure, food wastes, agricultural and forest wastes, municipal solid waste and crops like algae, corn, and sugar beets. 

The Navy recognizes energy security as a national security issue and has set aggressive goals to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. One way to meet those goals is using alternative fuels. In 2012, it launched its Great Green Fleet initiative demonstrating the effectiveness of alternative fuel blends during a large-scale exercise in the Pacific Ocean. The service upped the ante in January, sending the John C. Stennis strike group on a seven-month deployment with several ships – the guided-missile destroyers Chung-Hoon, Stockdale and William P. Lawrence, and guided-missile cruiser Mobile Bay – operating on an alternative fuel made from 10 percent beef tallow and 90 percent marine diesel. 

The Navy says that diversifying its energy sources increases the operational flexibility of its ships and strengthens their ability to provide a global presence.

The Navy’s interest in advanced biofuels to support its operations goes back years. In 2003, the Navy entered a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Biodico, a company that specializes in the design, production and operation of sustainable biorefineries. The collaboration expanded in 2012, when the Navy, supported by the California Energy Commission, entered into a new agreement with Biodico to develop and evaluate advanced biofuels and bioenergy.

Recently, the Navy and Energy Commission helped fund Biodico’s Westside’s new facility in Five Points, CA. It is the world’s first fully sustainable liquid biofuel facility and will produce up to 20 million gallons of biodiesel per year. 

The California Energy Commission and the Department of the Navy will meet at Stanford University Oct. 12 to formalize their ongoing partnership that will help Navy and Marine Corps installations in the state transition to renewable energy alternatives to meet California and the Department of Defense climate and energy goals.

Read More