The sun is setting on dirty energy

8-minute read

This Week

• The sun is setting on dirty energy

• Lots more rain expected this winter

• Coastal flooding much more likely because of climate change

• Solar farms cover a tiny fraction of our best farm land

• Most of the world could switch to low-cost solar and batteries

• High-speed rail could be lined with data centers

• Santa Cruz company funds dozens of clean energy projects

• Local NPR stations still reporting on climate change

• Brief climate news

• Climate jargon explained

• Contacts for Santa Cruz County

• About me

• Unrelated advice

Click on the underlined links to learn more.

The sun is setting on dirty energy

Large oil refinery at sunset, from Wikimedia

Analysis: Sonia Dunlop is the CEO of the Global Solar Council. That’s the worldwide industry association for solar and battery storage. Interview highlights include:

• Dirty fuels have become unreliable and expensive.

• Building a large, reliable solar farm with batteries costs the same as building the same size natural gas power plant. Except the fuel is free for the solar farm.

• The world has enough spare factory capacity to double or triple solar panel production overnight.

• Solar panel and battery prices have come down about 90% in the last 15 to 20 years. And the costs will continue to drop.

• Almost 100% of a solar panel can be fully recycled now. In 15 years we could make all new solar panels from recycled ones. Same for batteries.

• Many countries are switching to solar power with batteries for security, especially because of the Iran war.

• Countries all over the world are building more solar and battery factories.

• Home solar and batteries protect you and your family from energy cost increases for 25 years or longer.

In the last few years, Pakistan installed as many solar panels as all of Europe. Without the government requiring them. Without rebates or tax credits. Without big grants or loans. Simply because solar panels supply lower cost electricity. And when you add batteries, they are more reliable, too. Over half the homes in Pakistan have solar panels on the roof, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. And saving $12 billion in dirty fuel imports.

In France, parking lots with more than 200 spaces must install solar carports. Now you see them around shopping malls and large supermarkets all over the country.

On the Australian electric grid one day, nothing happened. Except a very big coal power plant suddenly shut down. But a large battery farm kicked in so fast, the grid operators didn’t figure it out until 10 minutes later. Without the batteries, the plant shutdown would have caused blackouts for millions of people.

Quotes: “[Solar panels] are now the fastest growing source of electricity in the history of civilization,” said Sonia Dunlop. “And the cheapest source of electricity in history.”

Limitations: The lowest-cost solar panels and batteries come from China. But the current Administration has made them almost impossible to buy in the U.S. So the rest of the world will stop burning dirty fuels for electricity much faster than we will.

Actions: If other countries can do all these things, so can we. Tell your local, state, and federal politicians to support clean energy. Check Contacts for Santa Cruz County below.

Source: Robert Llewellyn, Everything Electric TECH, 60-minute video

Lots more rain expected this winter, plus a weird summer

California rainfall patterns by El Niño strength. Dark blue areas get at least 50% more rainfall than average. Santa Cruz at the arrows. Modified from the article

Analysis: This fall and winter we are very likely to get a strong, maybe record-breaking El Niño. Weak and medium events make it harder to predict rainfall for Santa Cruz County. But strong ones are a different story. Plus we have an ocean heat wave that will change our summer weather.

A long article by climate scientist Daniel Swain covers why, and what’s likely to happen. The most important points include:

• El Niño raises global average temperatures for a short time by releasing heat from the ocean back into the air.

• El Niño warming and human-caused global overheating add up, raising temperatures even more.

• It’s already started, with 90% odds of a strong El Niño event and 63% odds of a very strong event.

• Strong El Niño events usually cause very wet winters, extreme rainfall, and floods, everywhere in California.

• They also double the chances of atmospheric rivers turning into month-long “families.”

• Very strong events in 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 caused injuries, deaths, and a lot of damage in our county. Like big trees falling, new sinkholes, flooding, and landslides. Many roads and major highways were closed for a while.

• Strong events add 6-10 inches of temporary sea level rise, plus 2-3 feet during big winter storms, causing a lot of coastal flooding.

Now add our ocean heatwave:

• We’ll get even higher sea levels because warmer seawater expands, adding to coastal flooding.

• This summer we’ll suffer through higher humidity and warmer nights.

• Farmworkers, construction workers, and older people will get more heat illness and heat stroke.

• We’ll probably get summer thunderstorms and dry lightning.

Map of the dry lightning storm that started the 2020 CZU fires and dozens of others, with Santa Cruz in the center. Dark red is more lightning. From lightningmaps.org

Start preparing for all of this now. Waiting until the last minute is usually too late.

Source: Daniel Swain, Weather West, 26-minute read

Coastal flooding much more likely because of climate change

RV park in Marin County flooded by seawater, from the article

A new research paper says that coastal flooding is about 4 times more likely because of climate change. Usually from high tides, rising seas, and bigger storms that push seawater toward the shore at the same time.

“Since the 1970s, [climate change is] by far the dominating factor,” said Sönke Dangendorf, an associate professor at Tulane University.

And another journal article found rising seas caused by global overheating have almost tripled the days with extreme coastal flooding. The analysis ended over 20 years ago for technical reasons. But the researchers are pretty sure it’s only gotten worse since then.

“Essentially every coastal flood today has human fingerprints on it through climate change,” said Ben Strauss, chief scientist at Climate Central.

We must get ready for this. In the long run, the only good option is moving buildings, roads, and utilities inland, also called managed retreat. Because the ocean always wins.

Alexa St. John, AP News, 5-minute read

Solar farms cover a tiny fraction of our best farm land

Solar panels over flowers used by bees that pollinate local crops, from the article

New research shows that solar farms cover much less of our best farm land than golf courses or expanding suburbs. In California, solar on prime farm land covers less than 1 acre out of 230 acres.

And farming can continue under solar panels, also called agrivoltaics. Many vegetables and spices grow better in the shade and need less water. Sheep and goats can eat the plants growing underneath solar panels.

“Solar uses a very small amount of farmland,” said SEIA president Tim Pawlenty, “while also delivering affordable energy, local tax revenue, and reliable income for farmers.” SEIA is a solar energy trade group that promotes solar farms. But their data comes from reliable sources.

When Santa Cruz County farmers apply for a permit to install solar panels, support them with written comments and speaking at public hearings. We need all the clean energy we can get to help with climate change. While helping local farmers.

Ben Zientara, PV magazine, 2-minute read

Most of the world could switch to low-cost solar and batteries

A large solar farm with dozens of big utility batteries in white containers, from Wikimedia

A new online tool shows that most of the world could switch from dirty energy to solar panels and batteries. With prices and reliability that are the same or better than natural gas power plants. And the cost of clean energy keeps dropping. While oil and natural gas prices are climbing much higher.

Almost everywhere, including California, solar panels could generate 10 times more electricity than we use now. In some areas, solar could make more than 100 times more.

The next time someone says clean energy costs too much or it’s unreliable, gently let them know that’s not true anymore.

Bill McKibben, The Crucial Years, 1-minute read

High-speed rail could be lined with data centers

Phase 1 routes of our high-speed railroad system, from Anaheim to San Francisco and Sacramento. From California High-Speed Rail Authority

The state agency building our expensive high-speed railroad system wants to raise money by selling land and electricity to data centers. But people living nearby are worried about them using a lot of water to keep the computers cool.

And they don’t want more noise pollution, air pollution, and climate pollution from the giant generators running when the power goes out. Or during monthly tests. Or all the time until the data centers can get enough power from the electric grid.

One big reason for building high-speed rail is to reduce climate pollution by replacing car, truck, and airplane trips. We need about $100 billion to finish Phase 1 of the system. Or we could use that money to replace all the diesel big-rig trucks in California with electric trucks. And reduce far more climate pollution.

Ironically, the biggest current source of money for high-speed rail is the state Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund at $1 billion per year.

Building our high-speed rail system looks dumber all the time. Tell your state politicians to stop this crazy idea. Or shut down high-speed rail completely. Check Contacts for Santa Cruz County below.

Rachel Swan, S.F. Chronicle, 6-minute read

Santa Cruz company funds dozens of clean energy projects

Climatize founders Will Wiseman (left) and Alba Forns, from the article

Climatize helps normal people fund clean energy projects through microloans. You could loan as little as $10 to projects like big utility batteries, or a solar farm. And earn 10% interest. Far more than banks pay, but with more risk than a savings account.

So far, the company has funded 41 clean energy projects while raising over $18 million from thousands of investors. Carefully check out Climatize and the projects that look interesting, then decide if it works for you.

Jessica M. Pasko, Lookout Santa Cruz, 1-minute read

Local NPR stations still reporting on climate change

Logos of NPR stations and the NPR network, from the article

National Public Radio, or NPR, recently laid off its climate editor and other climate and science reporters. And shut down their climate desk. Probably leading to less coverage of human-caused climate change.

The good news is that we still have more than 30 climate reporters at public radio stations around the country. And they cover both local and national climate news. For this newsletter I’ve used articles from KQED in San Francisco, and our local NPR station KAZU.

Please support KAZU. I’ve donated to them every month for years. You can listen on 90.3 FM in much of Santa Cruz County. Or stream them for free from almost anywhere. And read many of their articles at kazu.org.

Evan George, Legal Planet, 7-minute read

Brief climate news

This year in California, we’ve generated much more electricity with solar panels than natural gas. Since 2024, solar is up 21%, while gas is down 60%. PV magazine, 2-minute read

The largest U.S. solar cell factory just opened, making everything under one roof. Soon it will make tens of thousands of solar panels every day, while providing 4,000 good jobs. Electrek, 2-minute read

Homes with solar panels or heat pumps sell for many thousands of dollars more. But those features must be in the property listing. Solar Power World, 3-minute read

About two-thirds of Americans are worried about climate change. In our county, three out of four people are worried. But media coverage is dropping. The Guardian, 4-minute read

A giant wind farm in New Mexico with a 550-mile high-voltage line starts delivering huge amounts of clean electricity to California. L.A. Times, 5-minute read

Climate jargon explained

Agrivoltaics: Farming under solar panels

Battery farm: Many big utility batteries in one location

Big utility battery: Utility-sized rechargeable battery that stores clean electricity for later use, also called a battery energy storage system or BESS

Clean electricity: Cheaper electricity from clean energy

Clean energy: Low cost energy from the sun, wind, dams, or underground heat, that creates very little air pollution or climate pollution

Climate: Long-term weather pattern somewhere

Climate change: Long-term changes to Earth’s weather caused by climate pollution, including global overheating and too much ocean acid

Climate pollution: Gases in the air that trap the Sun’s heat and cause climate change, mainly carbon dioxide and methane, also called greenhouse gases or carbon pollution

Coal: Fuel from underground rocks that adds climate pollution when it’s mined, and when it’s burned for power or heat

Dirty energy: Expensive energy from coal, oil, or natural gas, that creates air pollution and climate pollution

Dirty fuel: Coal, oil, gasoline, diesel, propane, or natural gas that creates air pollution and climate pollution, also called fossil fuel

El Niño: One phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation weather changes, the opposite phase is La Niña

El Niño–Southern Oscillation: Global weather changes in cycles that last several years, caused by changing winds and sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean

Electric grid: How most places get electricity, using power plants, storage, substations, and overhead power lines

Global overheating: Rapid increase in worldwide temperatures starting around 1970, also called global warming

Greenhouse gas: See Climate pollution

Heat pump: Two-way air conditioner that can cool or heat a building, heat a hot water tank, or boil water for factories

Managed retreat: Moving homes, businesses, roads, and utilities inland as rising seas crumble the coast

Methane: Climate pollution gas 80 times worse than carbon dioxide, second-worst cause of climate change, but it doesn’t last as long

Natural gas: Fuel pumped from underground, almost all methane, that adds climate pollution when it always leaks, and when it’s burned for power or heat

Ocean heat wave: Unusually warm sea water lasting for months

Rising seas: Increase in sea level caused by global overheating that melts glaciers and expands seawater, also called sea level rise

Sea level: Average height of the ocean at a shoreline

Sea level rise: See Rising seas

Solar cell: Small thin device that converts sunlight to electricity, the building blocks of solar panels

Solar farm: Large land area covered with solar panels

Solar panel: Panel covered in solar cells that turns sunlight into electricity

Solar power: Clean electricity made from sunlight, mostly using solar panels

Wind farm: Group of wind turbines in one area

Wind turbine: Tall machine with long fan-like blades that makes clean electricity when the wind blows

More at climatejargon.com

Contacts for Santa Cruz County

City council: Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, or Capitola, depending on where you live
County supervisors
County Resource Conservation District
Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC)
Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) and PG&E
State Assembly: Gail Pellerin, Dawn Addis, or Robert Rivas, depending on where you live
State Senate: John Laird
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Air Resources Board (CARB), and Energy Commission (CEC)
Governor Gavin Newsom
U.S. Congress: Jimmy Panetta or Zoe Lofgren, depending on where you live
U.S. Senate: Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff

About me

I’m Rex Sanders, a science writer who’s lived in Santa Cruz County more than 20 years. Each week I check dozens of reliable sources for climate news that affects our county. Focused on how we can create a better, safer future together.

Unrelated advice

Do something. Either lead, follow or get out of the way.
Ted Turner