As Pasadena edges closer to a sustainable future, the Pasadena City Council has agreed to two pivotal energy initiatives that could change the city's environmental landscape. According to the City of Pasadena's official website, a 10-year wind power contract and a foray into large-scale battery energy storage mark significant steps towards the city's ambition for 100 percent carbon-free energy by the year 2030.
The CalWind contract promises Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) a steady 20 megawatts of wind energy over the next decade, sourced from a re-energized 30 MW facility in Tehachapi. "This wind energy agreement is another significant step toward achieving our clean energy TR's clean energy goals," said David M. Reyes, PWP Acting General Manager, in the wind turbines that will soon grace the Tehachapi landscape, having undergone modernization. Power under this new contract is slated to start flowing in May 2025.
In addition to wind power, PWP is harnessing technology to bank the sun’s excess energy through its first-ever Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Glenarm Power Plant. Kelly Nguyen, PWP Assistant General Manager of Power Supply, emphasized that the "battery storage installation will allow us to store excess solar energy on the grid and use it during peak demand, which will also help provide local reliability to our distribution system," as stated by the City of Pasadena. The system is expected to contribute 25 megawatts of dispatchable storage capacity for up to four hours at a time.
To offset costs associated with the BESS project, PWP has secured a handsome $9.6 million grant from the California Energy Commission. According to the same announcement from the City of Pasadena, the BESS project completion is targeted for 2027, which will help provide more than 65,000 customers in Pasadena with solid and reliable power sourced from clean energy.
