Central Coast Community Energy will share information on battery energy storage systems and their relationship to renewable energy during a community meeting in Santa Cruz on March 26.
Battery storage
Posted inLatest News
Explainer: Is the planned Santa Cruz County battery storage facility safer than Moss Landing?
In the wake of January’s fire at a Moss Landing battery plant, Santa Cruz County residents are pushing back against a proposed Watsonville storage facility. While developers tout new safety measures, experts warn that next-generation batteries come with different risks — not necessarily fewer.
Posted inLatest News
Citing design flaws, Moss Landing restaurant owners sue Vistra over battery plant fire
A new lawsuit from a pair of local restaurant owners alleges that Vistra Corp., owner of the Moss Landing battery plant that erupted in flames in January, knew about design flaws that exacerbated the fire.
Posted inLatest News
Public outcry grows as residents urge Santa Cruz County to halt battery proposal amid Moss Landing disaster
One month after a lithium-ion battery storage facility just south of the Santa Cruz-Monterey county line erupted into a dayslong blaze that sent plumes of toxic smoke into the air, residents from across Santa Cruz County say they are frustrated by the lack of information and engagement they’ve received from the local government. On Tuesday, several residents demanded a town hall meeting, and vocally opposed any progress on a lithium-ion battery storage facility proposed for outside Watsonville.
Posted inLatest News
Moss Landing fire: Santa Cruz County tests see no elevated health risks; survey aims to gather info from residents
Santa Cruz County has completed environmental testing to gauge the Moss Landing battery plant fire’s impact on local air, water, soil and agriculture, it announced Friday. While results show that there are “significantly lower” levels of metal in Santa Cruz County than in neighboring Monterey, both counties are circulating a survey to gather data from residents.
Posted inLatest News
Moss Landing battery plant fire reignites, but is under control, fire chief says
The fire at the Vistra Corp. lithium-ion battery storage facility in Moss Landing flared again late Tuesday afternoon but has since died down, a North Monterey County fire chief told Lookout on Thursday. Crews will continue monitoring the facility.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The Moss Landing fire is a wake-up call: Assembly Bill 303 promotes community-centered clean energy
The fire that raged at Moss Landing’s lithium-ion battery storage facility on Jan. 16 are a stark reminder of the risks communities take when placing projects in their districts. Assemblymember Dawn Addis has proposed legislation – AB 303, the Battery Energy Safety and Accountability Act – which would create commonsense siting requirements for potentially hazardous battery energy storage systems. She makes the case for the bill here.
Posted inLatest News
Moss Landing residents file lawsuit against Vistra weeks after battery facility fire
A group of community members filed a lawsuit against Vistra Corp., a Texas-based company that owns the Moss Landing power plant and battery storage facility. The lawsuit demands a full investigation into what caused the fire on Jan. 16, compensation for damages caused by the incident and updating safety and fire prevention measures.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The Moss Landing fire – where do we go from here?
The battery fire at Moss Landing requires a complete, independent investigation, writes state Sen. John Laird, and the public deserves to know how the fire started, how future fires can be prevented and the possible health and ecological impacts of the fire. There are no lithium standards in California, he writes, but says if Vistra’s battery plant does get rebuilt in Moss Landing, “it should be with newer, safer technology.”
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Moss Landing battery fire leads to health fears, evidence of contamination and concerns about overreaction
Residents around the Moss Landing battery facility in northern Monterey County describe experiences of sore throats and other symptoms. The energy storage industry insists that this incident is an extreme outlier.
