Voices of Healdsburg — July 2020 - By Felicia Smith

By Felicia Smith, Utility Conservation Analyst

“COVID-19 is the quiz, climate change is the final exam”

—Dr. Jeff Masters—

While Healdsburg re-imagines its future and leadership, the City, State, Country, Continent, and Planet must respond to the long-term looming threat of climate change despite a pandemic, a racial justice revolution, an economic recession, and global conflict. Globally speaking, 2019 was the second hottest year on record according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Locally, in 2019 our beloved community endured flood and fire.

While there is no silver bulletto solve climate change, there is an obvious culprit/opportunity: energy. Energy production and its use is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. The vast energy sector includes electricity, industry, and transportation. These subsectors represent the largest source of emissions in the United States since they rely on the combustion of fossil fuels.

Electricity, industry, and transportation are all large systems, so where to begin?We must prioritize carbon-free electricity, referred to as decarbonization of the electrical grid. Carbon-free electricity dovetails into the highest-potential abatement opportunities for the other energy subsectors: transportation, industrial, commercial, and residential emissions.

Although electricity is often thought of as coal-fired, California attributes less than 3 percent of its electricity from coal. The lion’s share comes from renewables (wind and solar) and natural gas. California has aggressive climate goals to add more renewables, reduce carbon-intensity and therefore eliminate the State’s use of fossil-fuels such as natural gas for electricity production.

Healdsburg has a powerful lever to pull in the energy arena: its publicly owned utility. Healdsburg has operated an electrical utility since 1899. The City owns generation facilities to produce electricity to meet the City’s demands while it maintains the distribution infrastructure throughout the City limits. Healdsburg’s residents and community members have local control of where their electricity comes from, and therefore, the carbon-intensity of electricity. Every year residents receive a Power Content Label that details where their electricity came from in the previous calendar year. Think of it as a nutritional label for your electricity, the more carbon-free sources the better.

Along with decarbonizing the electrical grid, another GHG emission drawdown strategy is electrification. Electrification, at least in the United States, is the process of fuel-switching from a fossil-fuels to electricity. Decarbonization of the electrical grid and electrification work in tandem. The two largest sectors undergoing electrification are transportation and buildings.

Understandably, people are weary of going all-electric in buildings for two reasons: perceived cost and reliability. While natural gas is often considered an affordable fuel source,the efficiency of natural gas appliances is notably less than its high-efficiency electric alternative. For instance, an electric hybrid water heater is three times more efficient than its gas alternative. Efficiency factors, along with cost per unit of energy, is an important part of the equation when assessing the operational costs of an appliance. Furthermore, the increased costs of safely maintaining gas infrastructure will be reflected in increased gas rates in the years to come.

Reliability is top of mind as we enter another season of Public Safety Power Shutdowns (PSPS). It’s worth noting that Healdsburg Electric has yet to deenergize the City due to a high-wind, wildfire threat events. During the 2019 Kincade Fire, Healdsburg lost power because PG&E deenergized transmissions lines.While the City lost electricity, PG&E also turned off natural gas. Reliability of electric and gas are compromised due to extreme weather events that are exacerbated by climate change that is caused by our use of fossil fuels. It is a vicious cycle. Decarbonization and electrification are two powerful strategies that can mitigate climate change, promote adaptability, and support a habitable planet.

Suggested action items

• Tell your elected officials and utility department staff how you feel about grid decarbonization.

• Assess the age of your natural gas appliances and plan for fuel-switching.

• Research the benefits and operational savings of an electric vehicle (or e-bike).

• Talk to your friends and family about the benefits of building and transportation electrification.