But with great challenges come great opportunities. EconAlliance firmly believes that Northern Santa Barbara County, with abundant conventional and renewable energy resources, is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the global energy transition.

Northern Santa Barbara County has a rich legacy of conventional energy production dating back to the early 1900s. The conventional energy industry continues play an important role in the region’s economy and community. Industry workers earn nearly double the private sector average, providing head-of-household jobs for hundreds of local families. Industry workers have diverse backgrounds and educational levels and provide significant community benefits through donations of time and money to service organizations. The energy industry is an integral part of the Northern Santa Barbara County social fabric.

Northern Santa Barbara County also leads the way in terms of utility-scale renewable energy projects, including both wind and solar projects. These renewable projects are essential to meeting our aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals and will play an increasing role in the future energy mix.

Electrical substations are facilities that convert electricity from one voltage to another, making it suitable for long-distance transmission or for use by homes, businesses, and other electrical customers.

Senate Bill (SB) 100, the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018, establishes a requirement that every retail seller of electricity procure 60 percent of its retail electricity sales from eligible renewable energy resources by 2030 and 100 percent by 2045. In 2021, the California Energy Commission, California Public Utilities Commission, and California Air Resources Board issued an SB 100 Joint Agency Report that presents modeling of offshore wind energy development showing that offshore wind could contribute at least 10 gigawatts of energy toward California’s 2045 clean energy policy.

While it is generally agreed that these goals will become reality over the coming decade, it is implicit that conventional energy will continue to play an important role in the changing energy mix even as we transition to renewables. There are opportunities to leverage the conventional energy industry’s capital investments, significant land holdings, and problem-solving spirit to facilitate the energy transition. EconAlliance seeks to foster such opportunities and partnerships.