In what ways will the Moss Landing battery fire influence the renewable energy sector?

The Mercury News

“We’re not expecting it to impact people on the ground.” Battery storage is key for enabling California’s expanded use of solar and wind energy.
Since 2020, companies in California have built more large-scale battery storage projects than any place in the world except China.
Wixom said she and many others in Morro Bay support renewable energy and battery storage.
Jacobson said the battery storage industry needs to do a better job explaining to the public the safety systems in its facilities and how they work.
Three smaller fires have broken out since 2019 at the Vistra plant and an adjacent PG&E battery storage plant, which was not damaged.

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California’s efforts to transition the majority of its electricity generation to renewable energy sources like solar and wind were called into question on Friday after a massive fire in Moss Landing destroyed much of a massive battery storage facility.

In addition to closing Highway 1 and forcing 1,200 residents of Northern Monterey County to evacuate, the dramatic fire at the Vistra battery storage plant also sent massive clouds of toxic black smoke rising from one of the biggest battery storage facilities in the world.

Vistra, a Texas-based energy giant that constructed the 750 megawatt plant in 2020, was accused by angry local officials on Friday of misleading them. One local official compared the fire to a 1979 nuclear power plant accident in Pennsylvania that cast doubt on the safety of nuclear energy.

“For this industry, this is truly a Three Mile Island event,” stated Glenn Church, the supervisor of Monterey County. “Safe energy is absolutely necessary if renewable energy is to be the energy of the future. This obviously has lessons to teach us. A thorough, independent investigation into what transpired here is absolutely necessary. “.”.

Tens of thousands of lithium batteries are stored at the facility, which is located across from Moss Landing Harbor on the site of a former PGandE power plant constructed in the 1950s. Firefighters allowed the fire to burn out on its own without intervening; it was contained within the site. Throughout the day, it kept flaring. Around 6 p.m., evacuations were concluded. A. Friday evening.

Though he refused to leave his boat in Moss Landing, Bruce Thomas said the fire has caused him to reevaluate his decision to live close to the power plant.

Thomas remarked, “You can’t be doing this to people, having three fires and saying, ‘Oh well, they’re only Moss Landers.’?”.

Fires from lithium batteries are infamously hard to put out. When they burn at high temperatures, they can release harmful gases that can irritate the eyes, cause burns to the skin, and cause respiratory issues.

According to Joel Mendoza, the chief of the North Monterey County Fire Department, Vistra’s fire suppression system, which had previously been effective, was insufficient, and the fire overwhelmed it. He claimed that air quality monitors installed by U.S. S. . One of the primary dangerous substances that can result from burning batteries, hydrogen fluoride gas, had not been found by the Environmental Protection Agency.

According to Richard Stedman, executive officer of the Monterey Bay Air Resources District, these gases look to have swiftly moved to higher altitudes along with soot and the majority of the dangerous emissions from the batteries.

He stated on Friday that the plume was at least 1,000 feet high. We don’t anticipate it having an effect on local residents. “.”.

In order to support California’s increased use of wind and solar energy, battery storage is essential.

California has been depending more and more on massive battery storage plants to store electricity during the day and release it onto the grid at night because the sun doesn’t shine at night and the wind doesn’t blow constantly. This has helped to lower the risk of blackouts during the hot summer months when demand is high.

“For the past few years, our community has been concerned about the situation that is currently unfolding in Moss Landing,” Morro Bay Mayor Carla Wixom stated on Friday. Concerns about a fire and its effects are prevalent. There is only one entrance and one exit to the high school across the street. “”.

From 1,474 megawatts in 2020 to 10,383 megawatts by mid-2024, California’s battery storage has grown sevenfold in the last five years, according to the California Energy Commission. 750 homes can be powered by one megawatt of electricity.

With the exception of China, Californian businesses have constructed more extensive battery storage projects since 2020 than any other location in the world. There were thirty-six of these plants in the state five years ago. By 2024, there were 175 and dozens more were in the planning or building stages.

However, local authorities in the communities where the plants are being proposed are becoming increasingly concerned about them after they experienced fires.

When Vistra suggested constructing a 600 megawatt battery storage facility on the waterfront at a former PG&E plant location in Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County, opponents put a bill to stop it on the ballot. With 60% of the vote, it passed in November.

Wixom stated that she and a large number of people in Morro Bay are in favor of battery storage and renewable energy. It would be more suitable, she said, to be constructed in rural areas adjacent to massive solar farms.

After two fires broke out at San Diego County battery storage facilities last summer, supervisors in the county ordered county officials to create stricter regulations that would limit battery storage plants close to residences, educational institutions, and other facilities.

According to Mark Jacobson, a Stanford University environmental engineering professor, battery plant fires are uncommon. He said that by supporting the state’s renewable energy sector’s continued expansion, they are lowering the quantity of electricity produced using natural gas, which lowers smog and soot.

“This is not a disaster in my opinion. Jacobson mentioned the 2010 PG&E natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, which claimed eight lives and destroyed 37 homes in a San Mateo County neighborhood.

According to Jacobson, the battery storage industry needs to do a better job of educating the public about the safety features and operations of its facilities. All energy generation and storage methods, however, carry some risk, he said.

Emergency personnel stated on Friday that they are unsure of the fire’s origin. The Vistra plant and a nearby PG&E battery storage facility, which was unharmed, have experienced three smaller fires since 2019.

A representative for Vistra said, “Our company takes very seriously what happened last night and we are hurting today because we know that it has impacted and disrupted the people who live around our site — our neighbors, our friends, and our businesses — and for that we are sincerely sorry.”.

State Sen. Following additional fires at the location, John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, drafted legislation requiring battery plant operators to create emergency response and evacuation plans.

Laird stated, “Battery storage is absolutely necessary.”. But we must ensure everyone’s safety. “”.

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