Campo and Jacumba are remote, but could there be some investment opportunity? Houses are $50,000 to $200,000, or you could buy this 445 acres suitable for a wind farm for just $1.3 million >>>>>>>>>
San Diego Gas & Electric has announced plans to develop electrical infrastructure in east San Diego County that will connect within the company’s existing power network.
The planned new substation, along with the company’s approved Sunrise Powerlink transmission line and recently announced partnership in a wind project on the Campo reservation, will help boost the emerging renewable energy industry in eastern San Diego and Imperial Counties.
SDG&E already has secured 26 percent of its power supply for 2012 from renewable energy resources, which is well ahead of the voluntary commitment the company made to supply 33 percent of its power from clean energy sources by 2020.
“Experts agree that a lack of electrical infrastructure is the most significant barrier to tapping into the vast potential for renewable energy in this region,” said Debra L. Reed, president and chief executive officer for San Diego Gas & Electric, in a release. “This project will serve as the backbone for delivering renewable energy from the mountain region east of San Diego County for decades to come.”
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has identified portions of eastern San Diego County, Imperial County and the northern Baja California region as having some of the highest concentrations in the country of potential energy from the sun, wind and geothermal, SDG&E said in a release.
ECO, the planned new electric substation in East County near Jacumba will transmit electricity via the existing Southwest Powerlink electric transmission line and connect future wind farms and other renewable energy projects. The project was submitted for approval to the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday.
The plan also calls for rebuilding the existing 50-year-old Boulevard substation. Local communities such as Jacumba, Boulevard, Campo, Bankhead Springs, Live Oak Springs, and the Campo, La Posta and Manzanita Indian Reservations will benefit from improved energy reliability when the current Boulevard substation is modernized, SDG&E said in a release.
The two substations will be connected by a new 13-mile, 138-kilovolt power line. SDG&E also will add new communications equipment at a facility near Boulevard to help improve remote system management.
In June, the Campo Band of Mission Indians of the Kumeyaay Nation, Invenergy and SDG&E jointly announced a plan to build on tribal lands a wind energy project capable of generating up to 160 megawatts of renewable power, or enough clean energy to power 104,000 homes. This joint project will be the Campo tribe’s second wind generation facility and is expected to offset as much as 145,000 metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions annually.
Sadly, were you to propose the same thing just outside tribal borders you’d be accused of destroying the sacred harmony of nature.
Renewable energy… The next bubble. Get in now or be priced out forever.
Renewable energy is a need, not a want.
Given the choice between everyone piling into a Housing Bubble vs. a Renewable Energy bubble – I know which one I’d choose. One of the two has a chance of making some major breakthroughs that benefit pretty much everyone on the planet.
It’s looking more and more likely within the next few years electric cars capable of going ~40 miles a charge will be a reality. I can’t wait.
Hey, I’m all for cleaner air for my children to breathe. SDG&E is at the forefront on renewable energy; and also on their EV program with Nissan. It was disgraceful when Justice sued CARB and overturned the ZEV rules; and shameful of GM and other automakers to recall their EVs and crush them. At least Toyota did right with their RAV4EV (the best EV ever built). EPA recently granted California’s fuel emissions waiver; and with Chevron selling the NiMH battery patents they’ve been suppressing to Bosch/Samsung maybe we’ll finally see some progress.
Are there any figures out there on how much electricity an electric car uses per charge? If I were to plug one into my house at night with SDGE’s tiered rate plan it would cost me hundreds a month I’m sure as it would all be at tier 3 pricing, high use rate. I need photovoltaic in my house to energize my electric car. 100k investment for car and house conversion!
–Renewable energy is a need, not a want.
There is an infinite need for energy?
–electric cars capable of going ~40 miles a charge will be a reality. I canât wait.
It’s a $40,000 car that gets 35mpg. You’re better off getting a Civic, both money wise and environmentally.
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Questions-Surround-Chevy-Volt-Fuel-Economy-Claim/
Doughboy –
The Chevy Volt’s battery pack will have a 16 kWh capacity.
The US average cost of electricity is approximately 11 cents per kWh today – so roughly $1.76.
The Tesla Model S, which is electric only will come with range capacities between 160-300 miles per charge. The base 160 mile battery has a 42 kWh battery system – so roughly $4.62.
These cars are all in their infancy though, given some market and research funding, etc – hopefully there is significant advances over the next few years.
Bubblenerd –
Yes, there is a need to start producing more energy from non-finite sources. There were only so many dinosaur. Population is getting bigger, along with it’s energy needs.
Don’t focus on a single first generation car, or their 230 MPG number marketing. By doing so, you’ll completely miss the bigger picture.
I’m actually surprised that SDG&E is being forward looking on this. Pleasantly surprised.
We’ve cut our personal power consumption to the point it doesn’t make sense for us to put solar panels on our house. (We use half what a neighbor in the same model house uses – they just got panels. We barely go into tier 2 rates). If a semi-affordable plug in hybrid or EV car came along, we’d buy it AND get the panels. And it would NOT cost $100k. We estimated solar panels, after various rebates, would run us ~$15k. And the car is estimated to be about $40k….
The Model S is promising – I like it. What is the life of the battery pack and what is the cost to replace it? That said, I don’t believe the hype that we HAVE to replace current energy sources. We are in a manufacture ‘drought’ so don’t believe the hype, but always question and verify.
3clicks –
The battery pack life expectancy is 7-10 years. I believe it’s around $12,000 for the consumer (more for Tesla). Once these types of cars become mass market, economies of scale should kick in.
I don’t think we need to replace energy sources “today” – but the fact remains fossil fuels are a finite resource. Keep using them, they will run out. Pretty sure that’s been verified a few times. đ
Thread is off topic (real estate)
There are two main reasons to replace our current energy sources with alternative energy sources.
1. Current energy sources are dirty. We have lots of coal in the US and could be energy independent if we used it, but coal fired power plants are dirty and people don’t like breathing dirty air.
2. Many of our current energy sources have to be imported. This is mainly a petroleum issue. Energy security would have us generate more of our energy independently of other countries imports.
Clean energy sources that can be generated locally will fix both of those problems. Wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and nuclear could all help to solve some of those problems.
I looked into solar about 6 years ago, and at the time there were different incentives in different states. I’m sure much of that has changed by now.
The problem I found was in some of the costs associated with setting up a home that was self-reliant on solar or wind power. The solar panels didn’t cost very much, relatively speaking, however batteries were needed to store the energy and an inverter was needed to convert the energy to something that could be used.
Wind turbines were interesting, but they require maintenance. Someone’s gotta go up there and keep them running, and that has the potential to cost more.
It seemed like this sort of thing was more suited to large scale installations (economies of scale) than for an individual homeowner. It would really depend upon how long you were planning to stay in the home. During the ’70s energy crisis, many people installed solar panels for a while. However, when the crisis was over and the economy was booming again in the ’80s, those installations were seen as a negative, both for aesthetics and cost of repair/maintenance, when it came to buying/selling a home.
The interesting incentive I saw was that some states allowed you to connect your alternative energy into the power grid and basically spin your electric meter backwards, essentially earning credit for the energy you supplied to the grid. I don’t think the power companies would cut you a check, but if you live in an area that didn’t have enough year-round sun or wind, you could use your earned credit when needed.
right now there is a glut of solar panels – and so prices are ‘depressed’.
I shake my head at the implicit ignorance of your discussions of ‘energy efficiency’ when it comes to cars. You guys are absolutely clueless because you’re only thinking American. If you want real fuel efficiency look to the Germans/other Europeans. My mum’s inefficient older minivan does over 50 miles / gallon – of course it is diesel and as such not good enough for over here. In Japan they have electric minivans but they’re not for sale over here. You’ve been in Detroit’s lobbyist pockets for such a long time, you have no clue as to just how good the alternatives are. Of course, if you were paying the same kind of prices for gas as the rest of the civilized world, you’d have had the same kind of incentive to get with the program.
The really sad thing is you almost definitely have no clue as to how wonderful public transport is when done properly. San Diego has public transport but at a very minimalist level. I think north county transit is better, but even that doesn’t run often enough or cheaply enough to allow most people to leave their 14 mpg suv’s at home.
btw, how many of you realize that older cars that drink fuel are too old to qualify for cash for clunkers – even though they’re even more inefficient than most suvs – all thanks to the hot rod/antique car lobbyists?
Wind energy is a pipe dream! You won’t see it in any signifcant commercial production in the USA in less than 30-40 years if ever. NG is the way to go. Relatively clean, plentiful right here is US. BTW – global warming is a myth. The US needs to give up this “green” agenda because China, India and other countries don’t give a damn about carbon footprint. You better be learning Chinese and stop worrying about wind “investments”.
“I’m the realist”
Wind power supplies 19% of the electriciy production in Denmark, 11% on the Iberian peninsula, and 6% in Germany and Ireland. If that’s a pipe dream, it must be a wind pipe. đ
“I shake my head at the implicit ignorance of your discussions… You guys are absolutely clueless…”
Flinging insults at everyone is an interesting way to join a conversation – that said, I’ll humor you.
Are you referring to the Prairie EV in 1995? First electric car with a Li-ion battery? Sold 30 units.
You did say minivan, so I’m guessing the Altra EV, or R’nessa EV as it is called in Japan. 200 units produced. A few of those 200 made it to the US – you could rent one at LAX.
It’s common knowledge the rest of the world has had more fuel efficient cars then the US for a long time now.
But see, the fact still remains there is no mass market all electric car.
Tesla, Nissan LEAF, REVO, Tata, or hybrids like the Volt – all making progress to rectifying that.
Similar to how progress being made with Wind, Sea, etc power.
These are all good things.
California drivers use the equivalent of 43 Diablo plants on the roads every year.
18: Most of the EVs that I have come across in the USA do not compete with most european vehicles for fuel efficiency.
In Europe where gas cost 7-8 bucks a gallon, the fuel efficiency makes most hybrids available to buy in America look like fuel hogs.
We cannot buy the efficient european available vehicles now, because of lobbyists and those trying to keep Detroit selling SUVs that are fuel hogs. I looked at buying the Lexus I think R450h, but its fuel efficiency was only something like 22-24mph, less than the vehicle it would be replacing – and its price was high,
Things are changing – I’ve seen several of the ‘smart cars’ on the road – not that I would choose to drive one – even though they have a pretty good safety record. I would want to be able to carry more passengers.
You may not be burning gas in an EV, but that energy still has to come from somewhere. Europe already uses sea and wind power and yes these are all good things, how come we’re so far behind on using them in the USA? I think its because people with money stand to benefit from the delay.
Buyer beware!
Before you invest in property in our rural Boulevard and Jacumba neighborhoods for wind energy or other large-scale projects, do your homework.
Previous wind investors went broke during the last renewable energy rush here in the 70’s-80’s when the government subsidies and tax credits were pulled. Due to negative impacts from a turbine project in Boulevard, the County created some strict regulations.
Currently, no wind turbine over 80 feet tall is allowed on private land in San Diego County. There are significant setback requirements from property boundaries, roadways, houses, etc. This may change in the future, or it may not.
Those of us who live here do not want to see our own properties devalued by the industrialization our ruggedly beautiful area. There are also noise and vibration issues that can result in negative health impacts to those living near the turbines which now stand between 400-600 feet tall.
There are major environmental and transmission issues involved as well which create huge roadblocks and expenses. I have serious doubts that any of the proposed wind energy projects will get off the drawing board.
Solar photovoltaics on commercial and residential rooftops are the better less invasive way to generate power at or near the point of use. SCE’s 500 MW commercial rooftop project is an example of what can be done–without transforming rural neighborhoods into industrial zones.
Sdnerd, I think the insulting commentator was referring to diesel vehicles that are available in Europe, not electric vehicles. It’s a bit of an apples to oranges comparison though. Especially in CA, our air pollution laws don’t allow the emissions of many of the current European diesels. My understanding is that the manufacturers are working on that. We also have stiffer safety regulations here than in Europe, which ends up adding weight, which decreases mileage. I’m not advocating pro or con here, but at least let’s recognize that with any given technology level, a lighter car that is allowed to produce more emissions is likely to get higher mileage.
Wind/Solar are not alternatives. On days that the wind doesn’t blow, or the sun doesn’t shine. Could be at same time,conventional power has to be there to suit max needs.
Geothermal/Nuc a different matter. With Nuc we have a waste problem to consider.
PS. You can’t store electricity.
“On days that the wind doesnât blow, or the sun doesnât shine”
We are talking about San Diego county… the sun shines just about every day.
And what are you smoking, cause I want some!
” 25.PS. You canât store electricity”
If you mean you can’t store the electricity from wind turbines or PV, nevermind batteries and think outside the box – excess energy can be stored in a variety of mechanical ways (i.e. using a pulley to raise a large weight – which can be used later to turn a generator on it’s way back down). One of the biggest problems with going alternative is the CAN’T drilled into everyone’s brains. Naysayers today are no different from pre-industrial revolution morons who thought the steam shovel would never replace horses and men!
As far as the topic starter, in 20 years people will be slapping themselves for not buying cheap desert property for alternative energy investment, especially from east San Diego county all the way over into west Texas.