Global Heating and Fire: California Jumps the Gap

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The media has been full of fire images from California. But these photos by Noah Berger and Josh Edelson communicate something unique. 

Certainly, they illustrate the horrific dimensions of the fires by showing the flames breaching man-made and natural boundaries. 

But the symbolism goes deeper than that and captures two awful facts that are becoming sickeningly apparent to Californians in this particularly early fire season, and in the weeks since these photos were published.

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California is known as the Golden State, and it's also a leader in renewable energy.

California's coastal cities have long been powered by clean-energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal power. But in recent years, California has been working to move away from fossil fuels — specifically coal — that contribute to climate change.

Now, as part of its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, California is using its vast supply of renewable energy resources to help jumpstart the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy generation.

The state's policymakers recently approved a new plan called the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). The legislation established a cap-and-trade program that limits carbon emissions from power plants and other major polluters while allowing them to buy credits from companies that reduce greenhouse gases. The goal is to cut down on pollution while promoting economic growth through investments in green energy projects throughout the state.

As the weather warms, California is one of the first states to jump the gap. In most other states, heating oil can be used for space and water heating as long as it's labeled as "off-the-label" or "unbranded." But in California, it must be labeled as such.

In fact, California was the first state to enact laws that require manufacturers to label their products according to their heat content. This means a gallon of heating oil may only contain 10 percent ethanol (E10), while a gallon of kerosene could contain up to 35 percent ethanol (E85).

California is a tough place to be a firefighter. The state's fire season is long and hot, with fires burning from spring through autumn. In addition, the state has an extremely high-wind risk and frequent drought conditions.

The fact that California fire departments have been able to survive these conditions speaks well of their ability to adapt and innovate. But even in California — where firefighters are often called upon to work in extreme conditions — there are still gaps that need to be filled when it comes to equipment and training.

For example, most California firefighters rely on water tanker trucks for water supply. But these trucks are often underpowered or not fully up to the task of carrying enough water for a fire crew fighting a large blaze.

California counties are working with groups like the California Fire Chiefs Association (CFCA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to take steps toward closing these gaps by building better equipment and training resources that will enable firefighters to fight fires with confidence in any situation.

California is a leader in the renewable energy world. It's home to one of the nation's largest solar power farms and has some of the strictest standards for green energy. But California's electric grid is aging and prone to breakdowns, and it needs a new way to make sure that it can deliver electricity when people need it most.

The answer? A new kind of battery — one that can store power from intermittent sources like solar or wind farms and use it when demand spikes up at night or on hot summer days. And this battery won't just be for electric cars or houses; it could also provide backup power for natural gas plants and other nonpolluting forms of generation when they're not needed.

"There are a lot of different places where we want to see these batteries," said Mark Glickman, who leads the energy storage research program at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California's Bay Area. "We want to see them in homes, businesses, industry and transportation."