| Independently Powered Energy News

The California Energy Commission Dec. 9 unanimously approved $33 million in funding for alternative transportation projects, including almost $25 million in grants for the installation of hydrogen refueling stations. Another $8 million grant was awarded to the Air Resources Board to help expand its program aimed at improving mobility options in struggling communities.

Three grants totaling $24.7 million are for the installation of 30 new refueling stations over the next two-and-a-half years to help reduce transportation emissions. At least half of the stations must be in or near (within a 15-minute driving radius) of disadvantaged communities.

The grants aim to promote the use of hydrogen vehicles—large and small. Commissioner Patty Monahan said hydrogen refueling stations that serve various vehicle types are important to spur the development of medium- and large-duty hydrogen trucks. Diesel trucks are the cause of much of the elevated cancer risk from air pollution in poor communities.

Chair David Hochschild said the trio of grants mark a “milestone” in the state’s work to achieve a clean transportation sector, which is the state's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Three companies were awarded funds to build out hydrogen fueling infrastructure: First Element Fuel receives $15.5 million to build 21 stations. Equilon Enterprises, a division of Shell, receives $7.3 million for eight stations. A $1.9 million grant was approved for Iwatani, a Japanese company, to install one station.

There is still more support for hydrogen build out in the regulatory pipeline. Up to $115 million in grants for 111 new stations over seven years could ultimately be approved. The final tally depends on state budget appropriations and approval of the Clean Transportation Plan, which gets voted on every year. The funds would be matched by $131 million in other funding, according to the CEC.

Funding for ZEV carpools and bike sharing

The Commission awarded the California Air Resources Board $8 million for mobility in low income and tribal communities. The money is dedicated to zero emissions car sharing, car and van pooling and bike and scooter sharing.

Public transit has been hit hard in the pandemic. In addition, there was virtually no funding for the ARB program this year.

“Mobility options are needed now more than ever,” said Elizabeth Szultc, a policy associate with CalStart, which administers the Clean Mobility Pilot Voucher Program.

The five commissioners also approved city building energy efficiency codes that exceed state standards. One in three Californians now live in cities with buildings codes more stringent than the state standard.

The increasing levels of clean electricity “will have a central role in solving the climate crisis,” Commissioner Andrew McAlister said. The more than 40 local building efficiency codes restricting natural gas use in new buildings “are all quite different,” he noted. “There isn’t a one size fits all,” he added in response to ongoing calls to the Energy Commission to adopt a state building efficiency update that requires new construction be all-electric.

The ordinances approved include:

San Mateo. It requires new residential and office buildings be all-electric. Multifamily buildings with exclusively affordable units are exempt. Los Altos Hills. The city requires new low-rise residential buildings to install heat pump space and water heating systems. Prewiring for electric appliances is required if gas appliances are installed for cooking and clothes drying. Redwood City. It mandates that new buildings be all-electric. It allows exceptions for hospitals, laboratories, commercial kitchens, affordable housing, and accessory dwelling units. Photovoltaic systems are required on new buildings. East Palo Alto. It requires new construction be all-electric with exceptions for laboratories, emergency operation centers, commercial kitchens, affordable housing projects, and accessory dwelling units. Prewiring for electric appliances is required where gas appliances are installed, and PV systems are required on new buildings.

In other news, the Commission approved the selection of nine members to the new 14-member Lithium Valley Commission. It is tasked with reporting to the legislature by next October on the potential for lithium development from geothermal brine in the Salton Sea, including needed investments.

Lithium can be extracted from geothermal brine, but the hurdles are cost and scale. The emerging commission will assess “whether it can be done in a commercial way to get California on the map for lithium production,” said Jonathan Weisgall, Berkshire VP for government relations. The company has geothermal plants in the Salton Sea. Weisgall is one of the new Lithium Valley Commission members appointed by the CEC.

The south shore of the Salton Sea is home to 10 geothermal plants, with a combined 345 MW of capacity. The concentrated brine produced by the evaporative geothermal process is estimated to produce up to a potential 122,000 metric tons of lithium a year by 2030.