A solar energy project at Naval Air Station Lemoore first announced in 2015 is still moving forward, according to NAVFAC Southwest Energy.
The idea is to ensure the base can operate even if faced with loss of power from the grid. Emergencies like wildfires in California have put portions of the state at risk of going dark with PG&E impacted.
The Navy is working with Arizona-based Bright Canyon Energy on an enhanced use lease agreement to develop an energy resilience project. To insulate the base from external loss of power, a key component of the project will be creation of a microgrid comprised of carbon-free electricity generated by solar photovoltaics and battery storage.
The project will generate enough energy during grid contingencies to provide the base with backup power supporting critical infrastructure. Once finalized, the project will enhance grid reliability, protect against base outages, and enhance power quality during normal operations, officials say.
Details of a solar farm of that size and battery output have not yet been released, nor is a firm timetable to construct the project in place, with the Navy suggesting that development plans are ongoing.
In the past, plans called for the Navy and a private partner to enter into an agreement to allow the partner to use Navy land to construct, operate, and own the proposed solar PV system. The partner would sell the generated power to regional customers as they do with other Central Valley solar farms. The private partner would be responsible for maintenance, operation, and the eventual decommissioning of the solar system.
Tule runoff 446% of average
With temperatures moving into the 90s on the Valley floor and 70s in the Sierra between now and early May, concern over runoff is building in the lakebed with the Kaweah expected to be 300% of average, a record 446% of average on the Tule and 426% of average runoff coming down the Kern.
Estimates as of April 18 are 50% exceedance with the largest snowpack ever. The Los Angeles Times may get some attention from Sacramento, reporting “The only thing keeping the rising lake from inundating homes, businesses and the prison in Corcoran is the 14.5-mile-long dirt levee. Local officials want to see the levee reinforced and raised by 3.5 feet.” Locals hope the state will help.
Grants will help Coalinga, Huron, Avenal and Allensworth
Flooding from this year's snowmelt could cause $2 billion in property and other economic damage in Kings County.
With California adapting to intense shifts between extreme wet and dry weather, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced three projects that will receive support from the department's Water Desalination Grant Program, and an additional six projects that will receive funds through a partnership with the National Alliance for Water Innovation to advance desalination implementation and research.
The projects directly support the State’s investment in desalination technology to help diversify local water supplies.
“California faces a range of water supply challenges, and climate change continues to intensify shifts between weather extremes as we’ve seen this season,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “The State is exploring all opportunities to invest in innovative strategies like desalination to meet our growing water needs — including treating brackish water and ocean water where it’s environmentally appropriate on our 840 miles of coastline.”
The Water Desalination Grant Program will award $5 million to three projects in Mendocino, Fresno and Los Angeles counties. The local project that will receive funding is the Westlands Water District Design Pilot Project.
In Fresno County, the project will desalinate brackish groundwater from the westside upper aquifer and use salt-tolerant plants to remove salts from the brine. The project will provide cost-effective, reliable and high-quality water to the district and the communities of Coalinga, Huron and Avenal.
In addition to providing support through the grant program, DWR is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) to support six projects that will pilot breakthrough technologies to reduce energy demand and costs for desalination projects. One local project piloting an electrical, modular, and distributed ZLD arsenic-removal technology — will remove arsenic.
Arsenic is a pervasive, naturally occurring carcinogenic contaminant in groundwater. Thousands of wells in California and around the world have arsenic levels that exceed safe levels, forcing communities to install expensive and hard-to-operate treatment systems or shutter their local wells and travel miles to fill water jugs for home use.
This project will demonstrate a new simple, reliable and highly automated electrochemical process that uses iron and electrical current to safely remove arsenic in well water. The team will partner with the community of Allensworth, a rural community whose residents must drive miles to pay for retail water from a kiosk. Partners: University of California, Berkeley and Allensworth Progressive Association.
Diesel prices almost $2 lower than last year
Across the nation and in California fuel prices are down from last year. That includes the all important transportation fuel — diesel — the truckers choice to transport goods, farmer’s favorite to plow fields, and the longtime power source used to pick up neighborhood refuse.
In the Golden State where everything costs more, it is particularly welcome that the cost of diesel has plummeted since last summer, when big rig drivers had to pay as much $8 gallon to carry a load.
Last year the average price of diesel reached high of $6.88 a gallon in June, raising the price off all goods that moved by truck, causing a considerable consumer backlash and contributing to the skyrocketing rate of inflation that still haunts us.
Today the U.S. Energy Information Agency says the average price for diesel fuel is down to $4.96 — dropping more than 50 cents a gallon over the past month.
Locally, diesel is selling below that average up and down the Valley including Fastrip in Farmersville for $4.89, Walmart in Fresno for $4.59 and Yokut Gas in Lemoore at $4.49 a gallon as of April 20.
Nearly all heavy duty trucks, delivery vehicles, buses, trains, ships, boats and barges, farm, construction and heavy duty military vehicles and equipment have diesel engines. Diesel is the fuel of choice because it has 12% more energy per gallon than gasoline and has fuel properties that prolong engine life, making it ideal for heavy duty vehicle applications says the Energy Commission.
Lower energy consumption, due partly to a mild winter, has contributed to the price decline.
The price of diesel this summer could be $2 lower than the prior year, said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis.
“Diesel’s decline has been astounding. We’ve seen improvements in fundamentals over the last few months with diesel prices down nearly $1 per gallon in the last 100 days, thanks in part due to the Fed raising interest rates, throttling back the economy, as well as Mother Nature reducing consumption through a mild winter and curbing consumption of diesel’s cousin, heating oil,” De Haan adds.
Hearing on Foster Farms poultry ranch expansion
The Kings County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on an application for Conditional Use Permit No. 20-06 (Foster Farms - Kent Avenue Ranch).
The applicant proposes to expand an existing poultry farm to grow turkeys and/or chickens and have the ability to adjust operations required to meet market demand located at 19744 Kent Ave., Lemoore.
The proposed project would be implemented in two phases. As Phase 1 of the project, Foster Farms would place up to a maximum of 387,692 chickens or 112,00 turkeys on-site per flock for grow-out operations.
For turkey brooding, Foster Farms has requested a maximum flock size of up to 280,000 poults at any given time.
In Phase 2 of the project, Foster Farms would expand the existing outdoor poultry pens from 75,600 square feet to a maximum of 189,000 square feet. In addition, Foster Farms would demolish and reconstruct all structures and utilities on the existing site, excluding the residential structure, which would be remodeled to current standards.
The hearing will be held May 1 at 7 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, in the Administrative Building No. 1, Kings County Government Center, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd., in Hanford.
