California Energy

Submitted by sebastianhanna on

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CA County Population

 

Updated 2009

 

 By County    By Population  Alameda 1,556,657   Los Angeles 10,393,185 Alpine1,201   San Diego3,173,407 Amador38,080   Orange3,139,017 Butte 220,748   Riverside2,107,653 Calaveras45,987   San Bernardino 2,060,950 Colusa21,997   Santa Clara1,857,621 Contra Costa1,060,435   Alameda 1,556,657 Del Norte29,547   Sacramento 1,433,187 El Dorado 180,185   Contra Costa1,060,435 Fresno 942,298   Fresno 942,298 Glenn29,239   San Francisco845,559 Humboldt132,755   Ventura836,080 Imperial179,254   Kern827,173 Inyo18,049   San Mateo745,858 Kern827,173   San Joaquin 689,480 Kings154,743   Stanislaus526,383 Lake 64,025   Sonoma486,630 Lassen35,550   Tulare441,481 Los Angeles 10,393,185   Monterey431,892 Madera 152,331   Santa Barbara431,312 Marin258,618   Solano426,729 Mariposa18,306   Placer339,577 Mendocino90,206   San Luis Obispo 270,429 Merced 256,450   Santa Cruz268,637 Modoc9,698   Marin258,618 Mono13,504   Merced 256,450 Monterey 431,892   Butte 220,748 Napa 137,571   Yolo200,709 Nevada 98,718   Shasta183,023 Orange 3,139,017   El Dorado 180,185 Placer339,577   Imperial179,254 Plumas20,632   Kings154,743 Riverside 2,107,653   Madera 152,331 Sacramento 1,433,187   Napa 137,571 San Benito 58,016   Humboldt132,755 San Bernardino 2,060,950   Nevada 98,718 San Diego 3,173,407   Sutter96,554 San Francisco 845,559   Mendocino90,206 San Joaquin 689,480   Yuba72,900 San Luis Obispo 270,429   Lake 64,025 San Mateo 745,858   Tehama62,836 Santa Barbara 431,312   San Benito 58,016 Santa Clara 1,857,621   Tuolumne 56,335 Santa Cruz 268,637   Calaveras45,987 Shasta183,023   Siskiyou45,973 Sierra3,358   Amador38,080 Siskiyou45,973   Lassen35,550 Solano426,729   Del Norte29,547 Sonoma 486,630   Glenn29,239 Stanislaus526,383   Colusa21,997 Sutter96,554   Plumas20,632 Tehama62,836   Mariposa18,306 Trinity13,959   Inyo18,049 Tulare 441,481   Trinity13,959 Tuolumne 56,335   Mono13,504 Ventura 836,080   Modoc9,698 Yolo200,709   Sierra3,358 Yuba72,900   Alpine1,201

 


Source: CA Department of Finance

The 12 largest Californian counties by population size are: Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernandino, Santa Clara, Alameda, Sacramento, Contra Costa, Fresno, San Fransisco and Ventura.

I used the electric usage and gas usage statistics of the Energy consumption data management system to come up with these reports for the 12 largest CA counties (the third column is the population sizes from above):

County                                                     2008 Total Electricity usage(measure   

                                                                                      of consumption is in millions of Kwh)

 

LOS ANGELES73783.837310,393,185SAN DIEGO19907.889013,173,407ORANGE18769.194663,139,017RIVERSIDE15445.238572,107,653SAN BERNANDINO14825.02692,060,950SANTA CLARA17088.067121,857,621ALAMEDA
11681.55875
1,556,657SACRAMENTO
11223.16318
1,433,187CONTRA COSTA9014.0289741,060,435FRESNO
7204.374595
942,298SAN FRANCISCO5694.415626845,559VENTURA
5927.281296
836,080

P.S.: Total usage implies the sum of residential use and non-residential use.

Here are the same statistics, but for gas usage this time:

 

County2008 total gas usage(consumption)Population(as of 2009)LOS ANGELES
3033.469435
10,393,185SAN DIEGO
541.365756
3,173,407ORANGE
637.943802
3,139,017RIVERSIDE
417.165986
2,107,653SAN BERNANDINO
412.147146
2,060,950SANTA CLARA
473.037092
1,857,621ALAMEDA436.1144821,556,657SACRAMENTO
311.957482
1,433,187CONTRA COSTA954.1477731,060,435FRESNO278.280709942,298SAN FRANSISCO302.500523845,559VENTURA206.121551836,080

 

Comments

I strongly CAUTION against

Submitted by Linda Flournoy on

I strongly CAUTION against glibly promoting the contained burning of bio-mass.

Yes, open burning is a problem, and must be addressed.

However, the majority of LAND DEGRADATION is directly linked to removing carbon-rich bio-mass 
(rather than returning it to the land), and causes many other problems related to: 

- water supply,
- water quality,
- erosion,
- salt and chemical build-up,
- flooding, 
- hydromodification,
- increased use of chemical-based fertilizers and bio-cides,
- increased equipment use (= increased energy use/CO2),
- more habitat loss,
- and many others.

When seeking solutions, it is CRUCIAL to "check with Nature" - 
in particular, how does Nature create and deal with any particular class of wastes?
And more importantly:  WHY??  What Job(s) is it doing?  How does it fit into the Natural Cycle?

Returning Bio-mass to the Land is also the most effective, efficient way to sequester Carbon -
95% PERMANENT, replaces the same nutrients and feeds the soil-food web, increasing it's ability
to pull even MORE CO2 from the air, storing it in humus, and releasing Oxygen back to the air -
so it does double duty (2x CO2 drop).

If the farmers don't want it: 
1- If it is from conventional farming, depending upon how toxic and the type of chemical fertilizers/
    bio-cides, special composting will transform it to lower/zero toxicity, controlling methane 
    production, and it can be used in other areas to improve soil health - improving all the problems
    mentioned above. (http://www.healthysoil.org)
2- If it is not contaminated with poisons, it can be used directly to improve soil health in other areas,
    the more local the better.