Lots of clean energy developments in the San Diego area this past week.
Executives from San Pasqual Band of Missionary Indians say they have commissioned a new microgrid to power the tribal government complex at Valley Center.
A microgrid is defined as a self-contained power system that supplies power to a specific geographic area, e.g. a college campus, medical complex, shopping center or in this case tribal areas when main power sources are cut off by storms and other natural disasters.
The grid has ‘steerability’, meaning it can disconnect from the larger power grid and operate on its own to generate the power needed by emergency services such as police and firefighters.
One or more types of distributed energy, such as solar, wind, combined heat and power, and generators, produce electrical energy within a microgrid. The latest microgrids now have batteries to store power for emergencies.
When power goes out, the new microgrid will power the tribal land from a combination of solar power and energy stored in the system’s batteries.
grid, which has offices in Fremont, UK and India, installed the Grid system. Officials said the equipment can generate 90% of the electricity it needs from grid power, which can both reduce costs and provide clean backup power.
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The city of San Diego, which is installing eight microgrids, including a fire station and three police stations, said its systems will help reduce electricity use by 25% by 2035 from 2010 levels. The solar emergency microgrids to be installed in the city will be funded and owned by Shell New Energies.
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Based in San Diego EDF Renewables North America said it has received three orders that will generate a total of 1 gigawatt of solar power to provide clean energy for the United States New York State Energy Research and Development Agency.
Stephane Desdunes, an executive of EDF’s Northeast Region, said, “With more than 1,000MW of solar and storage projects still in the development pipeline, EDF Renewables is excited to work alongside NYSERDA and New York State to… meet the goal of 70% clean energy for New York residents by 2030.”
EDF is an independent power producer with 35 years of experience in renewable energy, according to a press statement.
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San Diego’s Californian American Water announced that Highland Tank Conduit-Hydro Clean Energy Projecta clean energy recovery infrastructure based in New York rentricity.
State sponsored Public Utilities Commission, the project aims to modernize the pressure regulation infrastructure. When completed, the plant will generate between 75 and 125 kilowatts of electricity per day.
Rentricity’s technology captures excess pressure and flow in gravity-fed water distribution lines, which is converted into clean energy for the grid or at the customer’s site.
California American Water’s Highland Tank here in San Diego, to be retrofitted with two generator turbines, is certified for safe drinking water and will maximize annual power production over daily and seasonal cycles.
California American Water, a New Jersey-based subsidiary of American Water, provides reliable water and wastewater services to more than 725,000 users.
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jenny brooksa top manager in the local office of the management consultant Booz Allen Hamiltontook over the office of chairman of the board for the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp.
The EDC is the local nonprofit organization “mobilizing government and citizen leaders for an inclusive economic development strategy to connect data to decision-making, maximize regional prosperity, improve global competitiveness, and effectively position San Diego for investment and talent. “
The group says its 200 members range from startups like SkySafe to the largest employers like Qualcomm and SDG&E.
“As a senior executive at a major consulting and technology employer in San Diego, Jennie is perfectly positioned to lead EDC at this unique moment,” she said Mark Cafferty, the chief executive of the EDC. “With a pandemic still not behind us, Jennie’s leadership, dedication and deep understanding of San Diego’s strengths and opportunities are just what the organization needs as we continue to build the business case for inclusion.”
Four officers will assist Brooks in her role as Chair: Rob Douglasa manager ResMed; Lisette Islandsa manager MAAC; Tom Seidlera leader for the San Diego Padres; and Barbara Weighta manager Taylor guitars.
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According to a recent analysis by the online real estate agent, San Diego is dodging a bullet when it comes to a recent drop in US luxury home sales redfin.
According to the analysis, national luxury sales fell nearly 18% year over year in the three months ended April 30, the biggest drop since the coronavirus pandemic began, rocking the real estate market.
But the average selling price of luxury homes here is up 31% year-to-date!
The luxury market is cooling nationwide as rising interest rates, the falling stock market, inflation and economic security contribute to a drop in demand, Redfin said.
“Luxury sales growth began to slow in the spring and summer of 2021 amid an extreme shortage of high-end homes for sale, limiting the number of homes for sale. Although the inventory shortage has gradually eased, the lack of luxury homes in the market is likely still contributing to the decline in luxury sales,” read a press release.
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Another real estate-related point worth noting… San Diego is America’s most beautiful city; we all know that. Now comes a bit of confirmation from the apartment rental website Rent Cafe.
According to RentCafe’s latest 17-measure ranking, we’re ranked #50 on a list of the 50 Best Home Rentals in America. That’s pretty low, but we were the only church in California to make this list.
We have the fourth best overall quality of life, thanks to being ranked third nationally for schooling and third when it comes to recreational facilities that residents have access to. In addition, a large number of apartments are located in top locations, close to shopping centers that are easily accessible by public transport or your own car.
A few more points… San Diego’s economy is one of the most competitive in the US, boasting the 8th highest level of income and the 7th highest level of job opportunities.
While San Diego is dead on the list of the top 50 cities for renters because of the prohibitive cost of living, it makes up for it with a spacious average apartment size of 856 square feet — with high-end units making up more than half of the city’s entire housing stock.
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Finally, these two notable life science elements…Entos Pharma recently held a grand opening for its new collaborative life sciences research facility with office and laboratory space in Torrey Pines. Entos is headquartered in Canada and says it develops genetic drugs that target the cell directly. The company recently closed a big deal with Eli Lilly and Co. to support the development of gene therapies for multiple neurological indications.
Meanwhile, another local anti-cancer biotech based in San Diego Artiva Biotherapeutics, which strives to develop natural killer cell therapies that are safe and accessible to cancer patients, recently opened its US corporate offices and laboratory space here. The 52,000 square foot facility will include a multi-suite cell manufacturing center to support the company’s product development pipeline.
Tom York is a Carlsbad-based independent journalist specializing in writing about business and economics. If you have any news tips you’d like to share, send them to tom.york@gmail.com.
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