No place on the planet boasts a extra spectacular assortment of tech firms than Santa Clara County. The Northern California enclave — dwelling to Apple, Google, Nvidia, Intel, AMD, Broadcom and lots of others — is an unequalled financial powerhouse. It’s additionally dwelling for about 1.9 million residents.
But, beneath the glitzy façade of this Silicon Valley metropolis lies a stark reality: Sprawling workplace complexes, big manufacturing amenities, energy-intensive knowledge facilities (there are 72 of them in the county), and wired households draw big quantities of electrical energy. Santa Clara County consumed 17,102 million kWh (GWh) of electrical energy in 2022, according to the California Vitality Fee.
Balancing power demand, resilience and sustainability is a formidable process. Along with one of many world’s highest concentrations of knowledge facilities, 43% of vehicles sold in Santa Clara County are EVs, greater than double the national rate. Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), a neighborhood alternative aggregator that delivers clear electrical energy to 13 communities within the area, predicts that demand for electrical energy will rise 40% by 2050.
The aim? “Obtain financial and social resilience whereas preserving power costs down,” states Jasneet Sharma, Director for Santa Clara County’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience. «The county’s compass? We should adapt to a altering local weather, proceed to cut back air pollution and improve our pure sources — all whereas selling a affluent and simply financial system,” she says.
Success hinges on the county’s capability to transition to a clear power financial system. This, in flip, would require ongoing change, together with dialing up renewables, modernizing the grid, and adopting to new applications and applied sciences, together with virtual power plants (VPPs) and battery storage systems. “We’re working intently with our member cities to grasp how AI and knowledge heart demand affect our load. We’re persevering with to obtain clear energy to satisfy the forecasted demand,” says Monica Padilla, CEO of SVCE.
Energy on Excessive
As an financial powerhouse, few locations rival Santa Clara County. Its 2022 gross home product (GDP) was $400.1 billion. The broader metropolitan space ranks second within the US in per capita GDP. On the similar time, inhabitants development, new housing, enterprise growth, and the necessity for a strong EV charging infrastructure are straining the present power infrastructure.
As of 2023, renewable power sources comparable to photo voltaic and wind account for 54% of California’s in-state electrical era. Utilities scattered throughout the Silicon Valley already acquire a good portion of their power by means of renewables. For instance, Silicon Valley Power (SVP), which serves the Metropolis of Santa Clara, goals to succeed in 50% renewable energy by 2026 and 60% by 2030. It strives to be greenhouse gas-free (GHG) by 2045.
“We have now skilled sustained development during the last 20 years,” says Manuel Pineda, chief electrical utility officer for SVP. The county initiatives demand to double over the subsequent decade. “Business is driving a lot of this development, notably knowledge facilities positioned inside the metropolis.” But he notes that giant residential initiatives have additionally fueled an increase in power use. About 92% of the town’s energy goes to industrial customers, whereas 6% flows to residential clients.
SVCE is driving the transition to wash power. The company, a joint powers authority (JPA), eliminates the necessity for every utility to barter clear power purchases. Already, the entity has signed more than 20 long-term purchase agreements for large-scale renewable initiatives that vary from 20 MW to 100 MW of energy. By 2030, these initiatives will account for practically 80% of SVCE’s whole annual load, Padilla says.
But, the trail to progress may very well be bumpy. A key query is sustain with the ravenous electrical energy calls for of knowledge facilities. The truth that the Silicon Valley is located on a peninsula complicates issues, says Lincoln Bleveans, government director for sustainability, utilities, and infrastructure at Stanford University. “There are solely a few main transmission strains coming into the area. So, from a reliability and resilience standpoint there are some extra dangers.”
Danger on this case takes the type of an earthquake, fireplace, or different catastrophe. If one excessive transmission line goes down, widespread energy shortages might ensue. Whether or not the strains can assist the required influx of renewable power from different components of the state can also be an open query, notably as power demand will increase. At current, there aren’t any main photo voltaic or wind farms within the peninsula, and rooftop photo voltaic programs produce solely a small proportion of the power required, Bleveans says.
Seeing the Mild
A clear power future would require a mix of innovation, creativity, and coverage. Presently, SVCE and Pacific Gasoline & Electrical (PG&E) are finding out methods to impress and modernize a grid infrastructure initially constructed to accommodate gas-fired energy. We’re working with member cities to grasp how AI and knowledge heart demand might affect our load.” Padilla says.
On the similar time, the Santa Clara Workplace of Sustainability is collaborating with the state Green Business Network to assist small and medium-sized companies (SMBs) hook up with sources and acquire technical help for constructing out EV charging programs and different electrification initiatives. “Clear power is one thing that we should deal with on quite a few fronts,” Sharma says.
Certainly. Officers are additionally exploring microgrids, digital energy vegetation, and rising applied sciences, together with small modular reactors (SMRs) that generate zero carbon. Though California hasn’t been receptive to any form of nuclear power in recent years—the state has had a near total nuclear power moratorium in place since 1976, “SMRs might show to be an efficient resolution. It’s clever to contemplate all of the choices,” Bleveans says.
Battery storage might play a vital position in serving to Santa Clara County and different Silicon Valley communities meet their clear power targets. As a result of renewable power era is inherently unpredictable, balancing provide and demand stays a problem. SVCE has already invested in 1,845 MWh of battery storage and hopes to develop the usage of the know-how within the coming years.
Grid-scale and distributed battery programs will help by storing extra energy and releasing it when wanted — whether or not the trigger is a routine shortfall or the results of earthquakes, wildfires, and warmth waves. Statewide, California goals to extend battery capability from 6,600 MW in 2023 to 52,000 MW in 2045.
Attending to a carbon-free future gained’t be simple — notably with emerging roadblocks that may occur at the federal level. But Santa Clara County officers and others within the area really feel as if they’re as much as the duty. “We have to construct renewable initiatives at an unprecedented price,” SVCE’s Padilla says. “Our communities and the state acknowledge the advantages of getting energy from clear, renewable sources.”