As California looks to transition from traditional oil and gas energy, the state must face the reality it needs a balance that also creates ways to reduce emissions contributing to global climate change, an industry speaker told a group in Solvang.

Approximately 100 people from Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties attended The Economic Alliance Foundation’s forum titled “Local Energy Projects and The California Energy Transition.”

The Thursday event at Craft House at Corque Hotel in Solvang focused on nuclear and wind energy along with the role algae — yes, algae — can play in the future.

“We are in a fascinating region when it comes to energy,” said Ben Oakley from the Western States Petroleum Association and an EconAlliance board member. 

“If you think about it, there’s few regions that rival the Central Coast in terms of the variety of existing and potential energy sources,” Oakley said, ticking off nuclear, conventional oil and gas, offshore oil and gas, offshore wind, onshore wind and solar. 

The push to eliminate fossil fuels like oil and gas should instead look at ways to balance energy needs and too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, his colleague Mark Nechodom, senior director of science and technology for WSPA, said.

Any talk about non-renewable energy these days includes the issue of carbon dioxide, identified as the primary greenhouse gas linked to global climate change. This has led to efforts to move away from oil and gas. 

“When we worry about climate change and climate mitigation, we worry about a sloppy imbalance in a system we don’t understand very well,” Nechodom said, noting the science into carbon cycles is relatively young.

With millions of gallons of gasoline used daily to fuel California’s economy and billions of miles driven by commuters in the state, the solution isn’t simple. Still, California represents only 1% of global emissions, he added. 

He told decision-makers they must weigh whether the goal involved eliminating fossil fuels or reducing carbon emissions. 

“It really matters what problem you think you’re trying to solve because you will do certain things when you think that’s the problem to be solved,” he said.

Technology exists to deal with greenhouse gas emissions, and he likened the approach to how society deals with other waste management problems.

“We’ve dealt with waste management before with some pretty fancy technology,” he said. “Does it add cost? Yes. But it’s not just about the cost.

“It’s cost-benefit, and whole industries arise from managing the waste stream in such a way that you can run a global economy, take care of human wellbeing and reduce the amount of carbon emissions,” he added.

Later, Pacific AgriTech’s Lee-Volker Cox shared about the firm’s pilot project in Santa Barbara County growing micro-algae. 

This effort is a win for the environment because it significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions, Cox said. 

“It’s a win for the consumer because — you may not know it — algae is used in a myriad of  products, from cosmetics to pharmaceuticals to feed for animals. And it’s a win for the organization because the organization has lower emissions and makes money off of the algae and has the opportunity for carbon credits,” Cox said. 

Rather than being an oil company, AgriTech is a farming firm that happens to reduce emissions by growing algae, which he described as a fast and easy product.

Growing 1 ton of algae removes about 2 tons of carbon dioxide, he added. 

Instead of using a large pond, the AgriTech approach employs a photo bioreactor, or what Cox called “an algae jacuzzi.”

He said the cost depends on the photo bioreactor’s size and other aspects — “but the larger the facility, the lower the costs.”

“Our system also provides optimal cultivation systems,” he said, adding open ponds can have contaminants while their system produces a pure algae.

Three speakers talked about wind energy projects including two proposed for the ocean and one already operating south of Lompoc.

Jennifer Miller, chief of the Renewable Energy Section for the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, provided a look at the lengthy process to develop wind farms in federal waters off the coasts of Morro Bay and Humboldt. 

While many questions remain about the proposals, the construction operations plans will outline project specifics and allow assessment of any potential impacts, she said. 

“I think it’s a really exciting time. I think there’s a lot of opportunity in a lot of places for really some great development and problem solving,” Miller said, adding that “hopefully this will help the energy transition.”

Another wind energy project remains planned for state waters off the coast of Vandenberg Space Force Base. Public forums for that project could take place this fall, according to CADEMO’s Robert Collier.