Kern County Energy Summit spotlights local optimism
At an annual industry gathering this weekend, optimism for Kern’s energy future nearly crowded out worries that state policymakers’ anti-oil push will continue to make things harder for local petroleum producers.
Renewable energy officials speaking at the Kern County Energy Summit, broadcast Saturday night on local TV, praised the county’s embrace of an all-of-the-above approach to permitting projects ranging from wind farms to photovoltaic solar arrays to battery-powered energy storage.
There was also hopeful talk about technologies for removing greenhouse-gas emissions from power plant smokestacks and storing energy in gaseous form, as well as geopolitical trends that could turn Kern into California’s most important power broker.
But the event’s most prominent voice from the oil industry, a former top regulator now serving as vice president at the Western States Petroleum Association trade group, reminded viewers that California’s fight against climate change could drive up transportation costs for working-class consumers.
WSPA Vice President Mark Nechodom said the state’s anti-oil policies continue to narrow energy options while increasing reliance on electric-powered vehicles that remain unaffordable for many residents. He termed this disconnect a matter of “social equity” that needs to be addressed through dialogue.
The event normally takes five hours and attracts more than 100 industry leaders every year to a local hotel. But this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was a 90-minute, prerecorded broadcast on KGET-TV 17.
Again this year a series of industry executives credited the county for the business-friendly attitude that has led to large
projects in the area. Among them was Scott Drury, CEO of the Southern California Gas Co., who highlighted technologies including “renewable natural gas” harvested from local dairies.
“Kern County is at the center of many of these groundbreaking innovations,” he said.
New to the event this year was the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It is partnering with Bakersfield College to find ways of promoting local employment opportunities in environmentally friendly energy production.
NREL Laboratory Director Martin Keller said one promising technology that has gained interest lately is known as “electrons to molecules.” It uses materials such as water and nitrogen to synthesize and store energy in chemical form.
Another appreciative industry figure that participated in the summit was Ryan Galeria, vice president of solar development at sPower, which has built more than 2 gigawatts of renewable energy projects nationwide. With more than $1 billion already invested in California, he said, the company is excited about the relationships it has built in Kern.
Similarly, Tom Buttgenbach, founder and CEO of 8minute Solar Energy, said the company owes a lot to Kern’s long-term vision for permitting solar projects in the county. The company has brought more than 500 megawatts of utility-scale solar to Kern and hopes to deliver much more.
He specifically thanked the county’s top planner, Lorelei Oviatt, for her leadership.
A representative of local oil producer California Resource Corp., Ken Haney, discussed a carbon-capture and storage project proposed near Tupman. Located at the Elk Hills Power Plant, the project proposes to remove most of the carbon from the facility’s waste stream and store it permanently underground.
If approved, the project would create close to 4,000 construction jobs over a three-year period, he said, while sequestering emissions equivalent to 250,000 vehicles. He added the project’s initial design work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and should be finished this month.
The keynote speaker, Peter Zeihan, has made presentations at two of the county’s previous energy summits. This year’s talk was essentially an update of his 2018 local forecast, which predicted that increasing geopolitical uncertainty will make imported oil hard to find, leaving Kern to provide fuel for much of the rest of California.
The presentation implied that in the years to come oil will no longer trade according to an international price benchmark. Instead, he suggested, regional producers will be able to name their price.
“You want to talk pricing power?” he asked. “It just doesn’t get any better than that.”