![]() “It is concerning to see an increased reliance on diesel-fueled generators, particularly when nearly three-quarters of California voters support alternative, non-harmful energy solutions like fuel cells and more than half desire to see diesel generation reduced,” said Marisa Blackshire, senior director of environmental compliance, Bloom Energy. Considering environmental conditions and community members’ vulnerability to a degraded ecosystem, CalEnviroScreen is a method to evaluate multiple pollution sources in a geographically defined area that accounts for the population’s sensitivity to pollution’s adverse effects. Importantly, M.Cubed’s study highlights that many of these generators are in communities that the California Environmental Protection Agency identifies as “disadvantaged,” according to CalEnviroScreen. For a state leading in climate action, this growing reliance on diesel underscores a disconnect between how we're addressing grid reliability, long-term energy affordability, and the ongoing environmental consequences of diesel dependency.”ĭiesel generators tend to be located close to where people live, work and attend school. “I never expected to find so many diesel-fueled generators operating in San Francisco and across the state of California, especially so close to where people live, work, and play. “This research began when I received a notice that a diesel-fueled generator was being sited near my daughter's high school,” said M.Cubed partner and lead researcher Steven Moss. This pollution, in turn, may trigger upwards of $31.8 million in annual health costs in the Bay Area and $103.9 million in South Coast communities, due to increases in mortalities, heart attacks, hospital visits and other adverse consequences – particularly in vulnerable communities. This is particularly true in communities already overburdened by air pollution and the Air District is actively pursuing regulations to curb this pollution.” “Emissions from these backup generators can harm local residents, regional air quality and the global climate. “We have long been concerned about the proliferation of diesel backup generators here in the Bay Area, as highlighted in this report,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The report concludes that diesel generators in the South Coast and Bay Area communities alone have 12.2 GW of generation capacity and produce roughly 20 metric tons (MT) of fine particulate matter, 62 MT of VOCs and almost 1,000 MT of haze-inducing NOx annually. Of these, 20,907 are diesel-fueled.ĭiesel generators release greenhouse gases, particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrous oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), harmful pollutants that create smog and exacerbate respiratory conditions. In 2021, the two districts were collectively home to 23,507 backup generators with a capacity of 12.2 gigawatts (GW), about 15 percent of California’s entire electricity grid. Over the last year, the generator population jumped by 22 percent in the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), and by 34 percent in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) over the last three years. We can give you expert advice to make buying a standby generator for your home an easy process.SAN JOSE, Calif.-( BUSINESS WIRE)- New research by economic and public policy consulting group M.Cubed finds a proliferation of backup generators across California, with nearly 90 percent being diesel-fueled, posing significant obstacles to achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets and driving nearly $136 million in annual health costs. Unsure about which standby generator to buy? Call one of our team on 01263 820202.
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