Central Coast counties want to regulate battery energy storage. Why is it taking so long? – 90.3 KAZU

Local Governance and the Advancement of Sustainable Energy Infrastructure

Executive Summary

A report on the procedural developments within Santa Cruz and Monterey counties regarding the regulation of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The counties’ efforts to establish local ordinances reflect a critical intersection between municipal governance and the broader objectives outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The deliberations highlight the challenge of balancing local control with the urgent need for infrastructure that supports global climate and energy targets.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The regulation and deployment of BESS are directly linked to the successful attainment of several key SDGs:

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

  1. BESS infrastructure is critical for increasing the share of renewable energy in the power grid by storing energy from intermittent sources like solar and wind.
  2. The development of local regulatory frameworks, as contemplated by the counties, is a foundational step toward facilitating the integration of this clean energy technology.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

  1. The state’s climate goals, which drive the need for BESS, are a direct measure to combat climate change.
  2. BESS facilities are a core component of climate mitigation strategies, enabling the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

  1. The push for local ordinances, as articulated by Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings, aims to ensure BESS development “meet[s] the needs of the community.”
  2. Local control over BESS siting and operation supports the creation of resilient and sustainable community infrastructure.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

  Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

  1. The debate over local versus state-level permitting for BESS facilities is a matter of institutional design and effectiveness.
  2. Supervisor Glenn Church’s call to “develop an ordinance” reflects the goal of strengthening local institutions to manage development and ensure accountability.

Analysis of County-Level Actions

Both counties recognize the imperative to act, yet their institutional processes are proceeding slowly. The primary objective is to establish local control over BESS projects, which can currently be permitted directly by the state.

• Santa Cruz County: The Board of Supervisors considered initiating a year-long process to develop a comprehensive BESS ordinance. However, this preliminary step was delayed.
• Monterey County: The Board weighed a temporary moratorium on new BESS facilities but did not enact it. Instead, supervisors directed staff to engage a consultant to research regulations and state law to inform the eventual development of a local policy, for which a timeline has not been established.

Challenges and Implications for SDG Timelines

A significant challenge has emerged from the conflict between the rapid deployment of renewable energy infrastructure required to meet SDG 7 and SDG 13, and the characteristically slow pace of local government deliberation.

• The procedural delays in both counties risk creating a bottleneck for the deployment of essential energy storage capacity needed to meet state climate goals.
• While the due diligence reflects a commitment to strong and accountable institutions (SDG 16), it also highlights a potential systemic inefficiency that could impede progress on time-sensitive climate and energy objectives.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • The article’s central theme is the regulation of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), which are critical infrastructure for storing and deploying renewable energy. This directly relates to ensuring access to clean energy, as the article notes, “the state’s climate goals demand a lot more renewable energy storage, fast.”
2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • The discussion revolves around local counties (Santa Cruz and Monterey) attempting to gain “local control” over the placement and operation of BESS facilities. This is an issue of sustainable community planning. Supervisor Justin Cummings emphasizes this by stating, “we want it to be done in a way that’s really gonna meet the needs of the community.”
3. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • The primary driver for developing BESS is to combat climate change. The article explicitly links the need for these systems to “the state’s climate goals,” positioning the entire debate within the context of urgent climate action.
4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • The article details the process of local governance, highlighting the challenge of creating effective policies. It describes how county supervisors are deliberating, seeking consultants, and considering moratoriums to “develop an ordinance.” This reflects the process of building strong, responsive, and accountable local institutions to manage new challenges.

2. Specific SDG Targets

1. Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
   • The article supports this target by focusing on BESS, an enabling technology that allows for a greater share of intermittent renewables (like solar and wind) to be integrated into the power grid. The push for “a lot more renewable energy storage” is a direct action towards achieving this target.
2. Target 11.3: Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management.
   • The counties’ effort to create local ordinances is a direct attempt at sustainable settlement planning. The goal is to manage the development of new energy infrastructure in a way that is supported by the community, as the article notes that going the “local route… could mean more community support.”
3. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
   • The article shows this target in action at a sub-national level. The state has integrated climate goals into its policy, and now local counties are working to integrate these measures into their own local planning and regulations by developing BESS ordinances.
4. Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
   • The meetings held by the Santa Cruz and Monterey County Boards of Supervisors are examples of institutional processes at work. Their deliberation, although described as “slow going,” is part of an effort to develop an effective and accountable policy (“ordinance”) to govern BESS facilities.

3. Mentioned or Implied Indicators

1. Indicator for Target 7.2: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.
   • While the article does not provide specific data, it implies that a key metric for success is the increased capacity for renewable energy storage. The statement that “the state’s climate goals demand a lot more renewable energy storage” suggests that the amount of BESS capacity is a crucial indicator of progress.
2. Indicator for Targets 11.3 and 16.6: Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically.
   • The article implies an indicator through the development and adoption of a local BESS ordinance. The existence of such a policy, created through a public process (“Board of Supervisors meeting”), would be a direct measure of the counties’ capacity for local planning and governance. The article’s focus on the delay in this process (“Even that was delayed”) highlights this as the key measurable outcome.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: kazu.org