APCDSource: Air Pollution Control District
With the potential for Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) during wildfire season, we want to remind Santa Barbara County residents and businesses about Air Pollution Control District (APCD) requirements related to backup diesel generators. Diesel generators require an APCD permit (as mandated by the State) due to the fact that diesel exhaust contains toxic air contaminants and has been linked to cancer and other adverse health effects.
If you’re looking to purchase a diesel generator that’s bigger than you could carry (50 bhp or greater), an APCD permit may be required before you install and operate the generator. Therefore, before you purchase or rent a generator, please contact us at engr@sbcapcd.org so we can help you navigate our requirements. Please also see these resources for more information about our requirements:
- Operating Portable Diesel Generators for PSPS Interim Guidance: www.ourair.org/wp-content/uploads/Operating-Portable-Diesel-Generators-for-PSPS-Interim-Guidance.pdf
- Operating PERP-Registered Engines at Stationary Sources: www.ourair.org/wp-content/uploads/PERPfaq.pdf
- General information about PSPS events and emergency generators: www.ourair.org/psps-events/
Backup diesel generators aren’t for everyone and alternatives exist. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has identified backup power options that minimize community-level air pollutant emissions exposure. For more information, see CARB’s website: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/technology-clearinghouse/clearinghouse-tools/next-gen-tools/emergency-backup.
As electrical service becomes increasingly unreliable in the years ahead, I would strongly encourage everyone to make sure their home or business is wired correctly for safe operation with a generator. It’s not as simple as just plugging your house in to a generator. Home power generation is the future for electricity in California, and it’s critical that we make sure our diesel generators are installed professionally in order to safely provide us with reliable electricity. Do it the right way, and don’t cut corners on your installation.
Solar and wind with battery storage are the future. Diesel is the past.
Diesel is in the past…..unless you need it today.
Solar and wind and batteries may be the future, but they have major limitations. If you want to run your ac on a hot night when there is no wind, for example, a generator will be the only option in the future. Once power outages become more common, I think a lot of folks who dont like the idea of a generator now will change their minds and install one.
3:53, What kind of battery did you have in mind? A tesla powerwall can store 13.5 kw-h of electricity. A typical home air conditioning unit would use up that energy in something like 4 hours all by itself. A power wall would cost you on the order of $10-15k to install. A diesel generator can produce close to the amount of electricity stored in a powerwall with 1 gallon of fuel. The Tesla powerwall battery system could get you through a power outage for a few hours, whereas a diesel can last you days on a couple of Jerry cans worth of fuel and you have the option of buying more fuel or storing extra fuel. In addition, a diesel generator is a fraction of the cost of a powerwall to install.
Sac, how do you make solar power at night, and how do you make wind power when there is no wind? You can make diesel power anytime.
Rudolph Diesel ran his Diesel engine on peanut oil among other oils.
The Diesel is not as bad as people make it out to be,,
Love California. One pseudo government monopoly causing a problem and another government division telling you that you can’t solve the problem. I’ll be running my generator happily every power event caused by the captive regulators of our energy grid.
Generators also run on propane and natural gas and burn vary clean!
Diesel generators are dirty and need a lot of maintenance.
A question asked in Germany is “What did Germans use to light their homes before candles……electricity”. They were once energy independent, but now it takes French nuclear power and Nordic hydropower to maintain their grid stability due to their transition unreliable, intermittent wind and solar generation. That’s where California is headed if the adults don’t get back in charge soon.
If you’re so worried about CO2 emissions, try breathing less.