The San Diego Water Authority wants to help produce energy at nighttime through water batteries that could power 135,000 homes in San Diego. Although there are some opposers, this could help the state cut back on its fossil fuel usage.

Source: CBS 8 San Diego/YouTube

The water authority plans to use the San Vicente Reservoir to store solar power energy in water batteries. The proposed plan could store 4,000 megawatt-hours of energy per day which could power 135,000 homes.

The plan would include the San Diego Water Authority creating a smaller upper reservoir above the San Vicente Reservoir that would be connected by a tunnel system and an underground powerhouse.

According to the San Diego County Water Authority’s website, “During off-peak periods – when power is inexpensive and renewable supplies from wind and solar facilities exceed demand – turbines will pump water to the upper reservoir where it will act as a battery of stored potential energy.”

When there was high energy usage, the system would discharge energy that was stored in the water back down through turbines. The exchange is a closed loop, so no water will be consumed.

Systems like these are already in operation all over the world. Although it could take a while before this specific plan is approved and implemented, it will be a huge milestone once it is!

Projects worldwide are developing new ways to utilize solar panels and other clean energy to move away from dirty fossil fuels. Architecture students in Barcelona just built a solar-powered greenhouse that uses 50 percent less energy than it produces. Virginia is transforming abandoned coal mines into solar farms, and a start-up is helping retrofit old buildings in Brooklyn to use clean energy. The latest climate report from the IPCC is a final warning for governments around the world about global warming, so it’s great to see companies taking the initiative and working towards a renewable future!

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• Biden Signs Largest Federal Clean Energy Investment in US History

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