–San Luis Obispo County reached 15,000 residential solar energy systems on April 19, 2021, just three days before Earth Day, according to Atascadero-based solar energy company Solarponics. This milestone is a major achievement, proving the county’s commitment to sustainability, renewable resources, and the possibility of a net-zero future, says Solarponics. By comparison, Santa Barbara has completed just under 7,000 residential solar energy installations to date but has 25-percent more owner-occupied housing units.
The 15,000th solar energy system honor belongs to Atascadero residents John and Laural Anderson. This is the Anderson’s second solar energy system. Their first system was for their home at St. Hilaire Vineyard and Winery in Templeton which was installed in July of 2017.
Agenda includes spent nuclear fuel management, the Coastal Development Permit process, and decommissioning planning update
–The Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel (DCDEP) will hold a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, May 26, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held via Zoom and the group is slated to discuss spent nuclear fuel management, PG&E’s application to obtain a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) – which is required to perform decommissioning activities in a coastal zone, and receive an update on decommissioning planning. The meeting will also include introductions of two new panel members.
Dr. Peter Lam, Administrative Judge Emeritus of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and member of the Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee, will participate in the discussion on spent fuel management.
AP Photo/Ben Margot
(By Kelsey Hall: Kelsey is a Navy wife, mom, and native West Coaster on her fifth (non-consecutive) year living in California. She has a background in strategic planning and program analysis and enjoys deep dives into public policy.)
How to win back California from the edge of insanity:
1. Cancel the disastrous high-speed rail project: We’re years behind schedule, billions over budget, and nowhere near finishing this project. Let’s quit while we’re behind. While we absolutely want to see a revolution in transportation, this is not that. It’s time to move on. Californians deserve to see their money put to better use than this embarrassment.
I have a solar array on the roof of my house.Â
My solar panels offset a large portion of the electricity use at my house. I also have several highly efficient natural gas appliances in my home.Â
Livermore is proposing that all natural-gas appliances in buildings within the city be replaced with electrical appliances. The stated reason is to eliminate carbon emissions in the city of Livermore. While I applaud the goal of reducing emissions to help the planet, the city is ignoring the reality of their proposal.Â
Converting gas appliances in Livermore to electricity may reduce carbon emissions in Livermore, but the conversions will actually increase the carbon emissions to the planet. Converting the natural gas appliances in a typical home to electric would increase electrical needs by 300%. If every home in California were converted, the electrical grid would be overloaded. With the decommissioning of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, the power generation capac
Solar-Rich California Hits 95% Renewable Energy On a Recent Day Across 80 Percent of the State
Mary, CC license
For approximately four seconds on April 29, California got 95% of its power from renewable energy with the Golden State using about 90% renewables in the afternoon hours during a period of warm, cloudless weather.
While caveats such as not including Sacramento or Los Angeles in the percentage dampens the milestone, it still means over 29 million people were contributing virtually nothing towards climate change as far as their electricity needs were concerned. California follows another major population center, South Australia, which recently fulfilled 100% demand with renewables.