Batteries, solar help California grid weather extreme heat

GRID: California’s grid operator says added generation and energy storage capacity helped the state’s electricity network weather record-high power demand during this month’s prolonged heat wave. (NBC Bay Area)

ALSO:

• Experts say West Coast states must increase generating and storage capacity, build more transmission and establish a regional grid organization and power market to meet growing power demands. (KGW)
• Tesla’s residential solar and storage system virtual power plant delivered 100 MW to the California grid last week during record-high electricity demand. (Electrek)

STORAGE: A New Mexico county considers a Colorado firm’s request for $230 million in bonds to finance a proposed 150 MW battery energy storage system in the southeast corner of the state. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

OIL & GAS: 

• The Biden administration seeks public input on its proposal to add drilling restrictions to more land in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. (Alaska Public Media)
• California regulators deem inadequate a petroleum firm’s risk analysis plan to reactivate a pipeline involved in a 2015 oil spill, dealing a setback to the contested proposal. (Santa Barbara Independent)

OVERSIGHT: The Southern Ute Indian Tribe takes over regulation of minor oil and gas-related pollution sources on its land in southwestern Colorado. (Durango Herald)

TRANSPORTATION: The Biden administration awards a western Colorado transit agency nearly $33 million to upgrade facilities to support its planned zero-emissions bus fleet. (Post-Independent)

LITHIUM: Nevada advocates worry a proposed lithium mine near a wildlife refuge would deplete groundwater aquifers that nourish the biodiverse ​“Galapagos of the Mojave.” (Inside Climate News)

WIND: A developer proposes testing residential-scale wind turbines in Hawaii, saying they are quieter and more bird-friendly than conventional ones. (Hawaii Tribune-Herald)

TRANSMISSION: Arizona residents push back on a utility’s proposed transmission project through midtown Tucson, saying overhead lines don’t belong in neighborhoods. (Arizona Daily Star)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A company establishes an electric vehicle charger maintenance and repair training program in Sacramento, California. (CBS 13)

HYDROPOWER: The U.S. Army Corps misses Congress’ deadline to review a proposal to cease hydropower production at eight federal dams in Oregon to help restore imperiled fish populations. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

CLIMATE: Democratic California lawmakers push back on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to delay implementation of a law requiring large companies to disclose carbon footprints and other climate-related information. (Politico)

NUCLEAR: California startup Oklo looks to build its first small modular nuclear reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory by 2027. (Reuters)