To: Board of Supervisors
From: Aviation
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) and the County of Humboldt to Investigate Microgrid Development at County Airport Facilities
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Authorize the Director of Aviation to execute the attached Memorandum of Understanding between Redwood Coast Energy Authority and the County of Humboldt to investigate microgrid development at county airport facilities.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Aviation Enterprise Fund (3530)
DISCUSSION:
The recent Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid at the California Redwood Coast - Humboldt County Airport (ACV) demonstrates the benefits of locating microgrids on county land to enhance resilience for critical facilities while also transitioning the region toward local, clean renewable energy generation. Rural airports are strong microgrid candidates since they have a priority need for sustained backup power and are often surrounded by open land that can be used for installation of solar arrays. For example, the Rohnerville Airport is a key lifeline for the Eel River Valley and provides a secondary hub to ACV for air-based emergency services and cargo delivery. This facility also hosts the Rohnerville Air Attack Base facility for wildland fire response, which on Aug. 5, 2022, had the busiest day of its 50-year history while fighting the Lightning Complex fires near Willow Creek.
Beyond its ongoing mission to promote clean renewable energy generation in our region, RCEA is subject to procurement orders issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) through the Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) proceeding, including Decision 21-06-035 and others. These decisions address the reliability needs of the state's electric grid in the face of retiring natural gas and nuclear power plants by obligating load servin...
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