Moss landing battery malfunction a software glitch, snowpack is average despite big rains

The malfunction at Vistra Corp’s 300 MW, 1,200 MW hour lithium battery at Moss Landing appears to have been caused by a software error, a company investigation revealed. In early September, smoke was detected from the utility-scale battery and it was shut down. “Due to an apparent programming error in the [Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus], these actions occurred at detected smoke levels below the specified design level at which water was intended to be released and [the automated process] E-Stop was intended to be initiated." Gov. Gavin Newsom renewed Pacific Gas & Electric’s certification to continue operating, over the opposition from many wildfire fire victims and local power advocates. They protested the granting of the safety certification just days after PG&E’s probation by a federal court expired. They pointed to last year’s huge Dixie Fire sparked by its equipment, unpaid fire victims, and the utility's proposal to further raise rates and executive salaries. As of press time, the date the California Public Utilities Commission will vote on how much to pay rooftop owners for solar power and to charge them for the grid’s fixed charges was unknown. The controversial net energy metering 3.0 proposal, which has faced massive opposition from solar advocates but support from some customer advocates and environmentalists, was initially set for a Jan. 27 commission vote. Instead, at that meeting, the CPUC received nearly seven hours of arguments opposing and supporting the revision. The latest snow survey revealed the snowpack was a bit below average levels on Feb. 1, after a dry January and very heavy precipitation late last year. The statewide “snowpack is 92% percent of average for this date,” the Department of Water reported Feb. 1. Unlike the Northern Sierra, water supply forecasts for the south San Joaquin Valley are below average because of the lack of precipitation in this region. “A completely dry January shows how quickly surpluses can disappear,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. She said the variability in precipitation emphasizes the need to conserve.

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Moss landing battery malfunction a software glitch, snowpack is average despite big rains

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