Solar fields and rooftops in the desert and valley, wind parks in Tehachapi, biomass from waste production, and geothermal hot springs – with all its sun, wind, agriculture and geologic features, Kern County has a lot to offer when it comes to renewable energy. And then, of course, there are the oil and natural gas fields, keeping Kern a leader in fossil fuel production as well.

With all these resources, Kern seems to be in the right spot at the right time – a time when the state and the country are facing unprecedented regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and other byproducts of energy production and consumption.

“You here in Kern County are literally on the cutting edge when it comes to energy. You are at a great advantage here,” said Sunne Wright McPeak of the California Emerging Technology Fund. She was the keynote speaker of the day-long, fourth annual Kern County Energy Summit hosted by the Kern Economic Development Corporation on Thursday, Nov. 12.

The messages throughout the day from energy industry experts expressed hope and anticipation for both emerging and existing technologies – but they were also shadowed by consternation over how to meet the demands of legislation that calls for steep declines in their carbon footprint. The most referenced state law, AB 32, calls for a reduction of greenhouse gasses to 1990 levels by 2020, and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. It’s a goal that is not unattainable, all speakers agreed – but one that relies on all sectors working together and the continued development of new technologies.

“It is the most transformative legislation I have ever been a part of and I’ve been doing this for 22 years,” said Catherine Reheis-Boyd with the trade group Western States Petroleum Association.

The utility companies’ perspective

The day’s discussion began with representatives from three utility companies sharing how they are meeting renewable energy mandates from the state. A recent executive order from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger requires utilities to obtain at least 33 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020. Right now they are working to meet the 20 percent goal by 2010.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company is looking to solar and wind energy to make up most of its future renewable energy portfolio, said Andrew Tang, the company’s senior director of Smart Energy Web. But the challenge with those energy sources is they are not constant. The wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun isn’t always out.

“Unfortunately we haven’t invented the technology to be able to Tivo electricity yet,” Tang said. “We need to be able to maintain a balanced system.”

To achieve that, PG&E is turning its traditional network into a “Smart Grid,” one that is overlaid with intelligence and automation so that it can sense load changes and control the flow of energy accordingly.

The first step is the “much-maligned Smart Meter,” Tang said. (The technology has gained notoriety in the Bakersfield test market after customers said it caused their bills to double and triple over the summer.) The Smart Meter takes electronic readings of energy use in homes and allows customers to monitor their use online. The next step in the technology will be the “Home Area Network” which was demonstrated in the lobby during the summit and will allow customers to remotely direct their home’s energy use and set parameters, such as to turn off the pool pump when the grid’s energy demand is peaking. The systems are not yet commercially available.

“It’s about getting information into our customers’ hands so they can have more power over what they’re doing,” Tang said.

Another technology PG&E is looking into is compressed air energy storage – where compressed air is stored underground and then released to generate electricity. Tang said Kern County is a potential location for this project, as the air can be stored in depleted natural gas fields.

For Southern California Edison, the majority of its current renewable energy comes from geothermal, but the company is looking to greatly expand its solar and wind base. Geothermal plants use the steam, heat or hot water pushed up through cracks in the earth to spin turbines and create electricity. In Kern County, Coso Hot Springs at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake is home to a large geothermal power plant.

As SCE looks to greatly increase its wind energy sources, it is also considering ways to store the energy. Michael Montoya, the company’s representative at the summit, said they are submitting a proposal for a stimulus grant to build an 8,000-square-foot lithium-ion battery system near the wind park in Tehachapi. This would, in effect, “Tivo” energy.

In the natural gas sector, Pat Petersilia of Southern California Gas said his company is looking at using biogas to fill its renewable energy quota, although right now economics are making it tough.

“Natural gas prices have just dropped through the floor in the last 18 months, by 50 to 60 percent. We are trying to do this at a time when natural gas prices are as low as they’ve been in the last half-dozen years,” he said.

Even so, biogas is one key to reducing greenhouse gasses in California. Rather than let the gasses from decomposing waste water, garbage and agricultural waste escape into the atmosphere, the biogas process captures those gasses and turns them into reusable products. For example, the carbon dioxide can be pumped into the ground to help with enhanced oil recovery and the methane can be cleaned to match the quality of natural gas.

One Bakersfield-based company, BioEnergy Solutions, is creating biomethane from dairy manure and selling it to PG&E.

Also in Kern County, So Cal Gas provides support to Clean Energy Systems Inc. That company’s power plant on Kimberlina Road in Bakersfield is home to a pilot project lead by the West Coast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership in which the plant injects its carbon dioxide emissions into the ground beneath it.

Similar carbon sequestration technology is planned for a proposed plant west of Interstate 5 between Buttonwillow and Tupman. Hydrogen Energy California is still in its permitting process, said company spokeswoman Tiffany Rau in a separate presentation at the summit. The goal of that plant will be to “gasify” a byproduct of oil refining called petroleum coke, then separate out the hydrogen from the carbon dioxide. The hydrogen goes into turbines to generate electricity and the carbon dioxide will be piped into the ground in Elk Hills to help Occidental with enhanced oil recovery.

From the county planning perspective

All of these projects require joint ventures across a variety of industries and communities. The fact that the Kern County Planning Department is inundated with permit applications for all of these new projects just shows how prime Kern is to be a leader in renewable energy.

“We are in challenging times as well as bright times,” said county planner Lorelei Oviatt. “My own personal mission statement is I am doing three things: creating jobs, preserving resources for future residents of Kern County, and supporting the recovery through economic development. That’s what gets me through my day, and certainly energy … is key to recovery.”

Currently there are 33 wind parks generating 783 megawatts of electricity in Tehachapi. Compare that to the 4,600 megawatts planned for the mountain region. Solar is soon going to experience a huge boom as well: The planning department is reviewing 18 applications for more than 25,000 acres of solar panel fields in the desert and the valley, Oviatt reported.

One partnership that has helped the approval process for wind parks has been a joint agreement between the military and wind industry representatives. Together they mapped out areas of the county where wind turbines are appropriate and where they pose a danger to flight training out of Edwards Air Force Base. The map also includes such considerations as the flight paths of migrating birds and future residential areas.

“This has really streamlined the permitting process and given the Department of Defense the comfort they need … for protected airspace,” Oviatt said.

Other new projects in Kern that Oviatt highlighted include:

• The Mt. Poso power plant north of Bakersfield is switching from a primarily coal-burning plant to renewable biomass, in the form of wood waste from orchards, tree trimmings and construction.
• Crimson Renewable Energy southwest of Bakersfield is doubling its biodiesel production, which turns cooking oil and animal fats into renewable diesel fuel.
• The Tejon Industrial Complex south of Bakersfield is installing a biodiesel fueling station.

Green energy takes a lot of human energy

Even though Kern is a leader in energy production, California still imports a lot of oil, natural gas and electricity, said keynote speaker Wright McPeak. In order to meet greenhouse gas emission mandates, California will need to both reduce its energy use and continue its innovation toward greener energy. At the same time, it all needs to be done in a cost-effective manner.

“Even though California and Kern are on a leading edge, to meet our goals we have a long way to go,” she said. “We’re going to have to push the envelope in terms of research and size. It’s about economies of scale.”

All of the presentations featured at the Kern County Energy Summit will be available on the Kern Economic Development Corporation’s website within a week of the event. To view the presentations, go to www.kedc.com.