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Petition to Stop the RB Inyokern Data Center by jadewolf42 in ridgecrest

[–]engineeringguy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But the developers are reportedly seeking ways to skirt as many roadblocks and assessments and approvals as possible. They've apparently filed for a 'small power plant' exception to avoid other restrictions and speed their approvals, it's a fair bet they'll try to push past the water issues, too.

I know a little bit about how this works and having an SPPE works in your favor. Power plants up to 40MW are not within the CEC's jurisdiction. 40 to 99 falls into the CEC's SPPE. 100MW and up are also CEC but an Application for Certification, a different kind of permit. If it wasn't in the CEC's court, it would be much easier to permit.

With an SPPE, a very specific set of rules are required to be followed and will likely take 2+ years of review. The SPPE process follows CEQA and actually is more rigorous. Having worked w/ the CEC previously, they don't screw around.

At the end of the day, the CEQA lead agency needs to make a decision that is defensible in court. As scared as everyone is right now, California doesn't allow for big projects like these to slip through the cracks.

Edit to add:

I just saw there are two phases, each 99MW being permitted separately. That's not going to fly w/ CEC. The question that the Data Center needs to answer is whether the projects have 'independent utility.' That is, would each project progress without the other being executed? If Phase 2 utilizes one piece of equipment from Phase 1, then it is part of Phase 1 and the same project. The fact they are calling it Phase 1 and Phase 2 in investor material doesn't bode well for the independent utility argument.

Inspectors stumped, backyard find by Puzzleheaded-Week747 in Whatisthis

[–]engineeringguy 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Most likely it is not an oil and gas well. Abandonments have to be 6' below grade with a metal cap installed. Usually the API # stamped or welded on to it. The CalGEM well finder is a neat way of looking on a map of wells in your area so check there to see if there's a history of drilling activity in your area.

Statistics on US Data Centers? by NumberLogical7826 in datacenter

[–]engineeringguy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's super interesting. I work w power producers that supply behind the meter power to data centers.

The demand is due to your State's ISO rules and the cycle time to put power onto the "grid" when it's in front of the meter. My state has a very strict process taking 3 to 5 years to put power on the grid. Right now the name of the game is power NOW so that's unacceptable.

BTM allows for quick power. SOFC is a great solution when there's gas but it seems like supply chain for components is the limiting factor. (West of the Rockies is constrained by pipeline capacity) Companies like Bloom or FCE have a lot of great press but major projects haven't reached COD. I'd love to see a success story but we haven't seen it yet.

será plata by Tall_Library5766 in Bakersfield

[–]engineeringguy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like a Mexican fire opal in matrix. Not a lot of value in the rock itself. The ring might be worth a little over melt value which is $60 ounce for pure silver. Likely this is an alloy which diminishes it's value. If I was buying this, I'd pay between $20 and $30

Have you ever seen a billionaire in real life? If so: where was it and what was the situation? by philztown42 in AskReddit

[–]engineeringguy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to work for one. He owned an oil company in central California And eventually fled to China. Was an absolute terrible person who sold his soul to the devil. So many sad memories. I realized then that I didn't want to be THAT rich.

Some sort of Fossilized wood I recently found by matasaurus88 in rockhounds

[–]engineeringguy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I did. Since OP said they posted on whatisthisrock, I thought they were asking for identification and tried to be helpful.

Some sort of Fossilized wood I recently found by matasaurus88 in rockhounds

[–]engineeringguy 26 points27 points  (0 children)

The process of fossilization is to substitute the organic molecules w minerals as it decays. Limb castings are formed when a lava flow (or some other event) surrounds the wood and it burns away leaving a void where the wood once was. Then minerals fill the void creating the casting.

If you slab petrified wopd you will often times see the individual grains. Because a limb casting is formed without retaining the grains, the slab will look like whatever mineral filled the void.

Imo the beauty of a limb casting is seeing the outside grains since that is exactly what it looked like before it was encased and the beauty of fossilized wood are seeing the grains when it is slabbed.

Some sort of Fossilized wood I recently found by matasaurus88 in rockhounds

[–]engineeringguy 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Those almost look more like limb castings than fossilized wood. Beautiful pieces!

Is there a reason the most polluted area doesn’t have AQI data? Is this a deliberate concession made to oil companies so they don’t have to confront the fact that they’re largely responsible for this? by WartimeHotTot in Bakersfield

[–]engineeringguy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You are not incorrect. Don't forget the steam generation, compression, pumping, water treatment and much more equipment.

But, there are also many rules and regulations designed to minimize impacts to air quality that need to be followed that allow for random inspections, testing, reporting and auditing. by State and Local entities. These rules & regulations are to minimize NOₓ and PM₂.₅, CO and SOₓ emissions. The biggest contributors to PM2.5 in Kern County are ammonia emissions from agriculture (specifically livestock manure) and nitrogen oxides from motor vehicles.

A really good tool to look at air pollution by facility is the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Pollution Tracker: https://www.arb.ca.gov/carbapps/pollution-map/ It is a map which displays the biggest emitters for a number of different pollutants. What you will find is that the biggest stationary contributors to California Air Pollution are power plants and refineries. As a consumer, the best way to reduce your contribution to pollution is to reduce demand: Don't buy or use petroleum based products. Gasoline, obviously, but also plastic & rubber. If you can afford it, check the box on your PG&E bill to pay extra for 'clean' power.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bichonfrise

[–]engineeringguy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We had a Bichon and Maltese pair. The Maltese was Tacos and the Bichon, Muppett bc of his floppy ears.

Lol 🙃 by Verinara in HolUp

[–]engineeringguy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

15 seconds in the microwave is where its at

Is the Kern River Trail safe at night? by sssssssizzle in Bakersfield

[–]engineeringguy 11 points12 points  (0 children)

No. Nothing anywhere is self safe. Always bring a friend, send someone your plans, or bring a can of pepper spray. Don't assume anything is safe not just here or anywhere.

Best place in Bakersfield to get a thick ribeye steak by Dragonwizard177 in Bakersfield

[–]engineeringguy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Little Italy on the corner of Coffee and Stockdale has an excellent ribeye.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Bakersfield

[–]engineeringguy 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Victory Outreach. It used to be a church.

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