Clean Energy Coalition for Santa Fe County

10/13/2026

What is ? → A deceptive marketing tactic that uses false, exaggerated, or unsupported claims to make a company's products, services, or operations seem environmentally friendly.

For CEC, greenwashing is a global energy giant’s focus on solar arrays as an attempt to divert attention away from the very real dangers of a utility-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).

10/06/2026

Our Purpose: Energy storage is a critical part of realizing our renewable energy future. However, WHERE and HOW matter.

STOP AES and their Rancho Viejo Solar Battery Project! The risks of locating a utility-scale battery facility near more than 10,000 homes in Eldorado, Rancho Viejo and Rancho San Marcos is — terrifying. Projects like this simply do not belong within a mile or less of residential communities.

Sign the Petition: https://cleanenergycoalitionsfc.org

Pictured: Battery storage facility fire in Escondido, San Diego CA.

09/25/2026

Where Do Things Stand Now?

• AES has leased 724 acres 1 mile West of Eldorado, 3 miles South of Santa Fe from the private landowner, Warren Thompson.

• We have appealed the Santa Fe County Commissioners decision approving a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the AES project to District Court.

• Next District Court Hearing: October 21, 2026.

09/22/2026

Another fire breaks out at the Moss Landing BESS facility. So much for calling these fires a “rare event.” This is the same facility where last year’s massive lithium-ion battery fire forced 1,200 residents to evacuate and devastated the surrounding community.

Would you want this near your home?

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/moss-landing-power-plant-fire-september-18-2026-shelter-in-place/

Firefighters on California's Central Coast battled a fire that broke out Friday at the same power plant where a massive lithium battery fire took place last year.

07/03/2026

A legal win for our community! ⚖️ Judge Matthew Wilson ruled that CEC is entitled to discovery in our case challenging the County's approval of the AES Rancho Viejo Solar/Battery Project.

The fight isn't over… district court hearings are scheduled for August and October 2026.

Subscribe at CleanEnergyCoalitionSFC.org for details & updates.

05/01/2026

Today is the day! The preliminary District Court hearing in our fight against the County and AES is TODAY: Friday May 1, at 1pm - 2pm.

Link to listen virtually by computer:
meet.google.com/bbu-aujx-qfx

By phone, call 1-336-949-8079 and enter pin number 862702640 #

The court requests that you please mute yourself and turn off your camera if attending virtually and mute your phone if attending by phone.

04/23/2026

This Earth Day, we reflect on what it truly means to protect the land, water, and future of our communities here in Santa Fe County.

We all care about protecting the place we call home, but not all energy solutions are created equal. Large-scale battery storage projects bring real risks: including fire hazards, water demands, and potential impacts to nearby homes, air quality, and wells.

Across the country, communities are pausing, rethinking, and in some cases rejecting projects that don’t meet safety standards.

We deserve clean energy that is safe, well-planned, and appropriate for our region.

Pictured: Rancho Viejo and Eldorado — Santa Fe County communities near the proposed AES solar battery storage (BESS) facility.

03/31/2026

THERMAL RUNAWAY — HOW MUCH WATER IS REALLY NEEDED?

Recent battery storage facility fires help illustrate an important issue for Santa Fe County and the proposed AES battery storage project.

The County’s permit conditions require 60,000 gallons of water on site, intended to give firefighters time to bring in additional water if there is a fire. However, real incidents show that at typical firefighting flow rates, 60,000 gallons may only last about 40–50 minutes, not the “couple hours” many people assume.

Another important factor is response time. In some battery storage fires, firefighters arrived very quickly. In Santa Fe County, response times could be longer depending on location, staffing, and site access. If a fire grows before suppression begins, additional containers could enter thermal runaway.

These real incidents are worth watching to understand why water supply and response time are such important safety considerations for container-style battery storage facilities:

Video #1 – Boulder City, Nevada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nns2GZqc6qI

Video #2 – Salt River Project, Arizona
https://www.azfamily.com/2025/10/02/multiple-agencies-fighting-fire-battery-storage-facility-glendale/

These examples help show how quickly thermal runaway can spread and how long water must be applied during these types of fires.