Latest news with #ElCentro
Globe and Mail
22-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
GridBeyond Leads Optimization of 200MW Energy Storage Site in California
GridBeyond, a global leader in smart energy management, and Gore Street Energy Storage Fund plc (LSE: GSF), a leading international energy storage investment fund, over the summer began operating the Big Rock Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in El Centro, California. Bringing Big Rock live involved a large team of over 20 people coordinating across multiple countries and time zones, comprising data scientists, regulatory analysts and industrial control engineers. At 200 MW / 400 MWh, it is the largest asset managed by Gore Street Capital and GridBeyond and will dispatch power to roughly 200,000 homes in Southern California during peak times. 'This is an enormous battery system and an important source of resiliency to the state of California,' said Sean McEvoy, President of North America at GridBeyond. 'As CAISO's daily Regulation Up/Down requirement is often around 500MW-1200MW in total, this resource alone can provide up to 15%-40% of the state's Regulation Services needs in certain hours.' To ensure maximum return on investment and grid impact, GridBeyond was selected to provide trading and optimization services for the Big Rock BESS. Central to its offering is GridBeyond's proprietary AI-based Bid Optimizer, which matches market price forecasts with real-time battery performance simulations to drive optimal bid strategies in the CAISO market. 'We are pleased to partner with a high-quality counterparty like GridBeyond on this landmark project, being able to capture revenues which outperform the market and tolling has been demonstrated by Gore Street for many years,' said Alex O'Cinneide, CEO of Gore Street Capital. 'Big Rock is not only a critical part of California's energy infrastructure, but also a strong example of our ability to deliver for investors at scale and across multiple international markets.' The Big Rock BESS is underpinned by a 12-year fixed-price Resource Adequacy (RA) contract, valued at over USD 165 million over its term. Operated under this RA contract—secured by a Goldman Sachs subsidiary in October 2024—the facility is positioned to generate up to c.40% of its total project revenue through RA payments alone. The facility also benefits from stackable market participation, enabling it to tap multiple revenue streams, including energy arbitrage and ancillary services, as well as the RA contract. The project comes shortly after GridBeyond began commercial operations of the PORT battery in Kanto Japan and in anticipation of three additional battery projects achieving COD in ERCOT (Texas) later this summer.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions' special teams coordinator Dave Fipp lives his dream in Blue Angels ride-along
Detroit Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said it's always been a dream of his to fly with the Blue Angels. "There's no way this will ever happen," Fipp said about the possibility of ever going up with the famous U.S. Navy squadron. Turns out, there was a way. Advertisement Fipp is a pilot himself and, through a few flying community connections, found himself in the cockpit of a fighter jet. The Lions posted a video on July 4 showing Fipp's ride-along with the Blue Angels in March. Fipp, the son of a Navy pilot, said he grew up watching the Angels perform at air shows in his hometown of San Diego. Fipp suited up and went up for a 45-minute flight in an F-18 Super Hornet at the El Centro naval air facility. "I can't even express in words how grateful I am for the opportunity to fly there... and really just be around those people... totally helped me understand my dad's love for it," Fipp said. Advertisement Fipp joined the Lions in 2021 as special teams coordinator after spending eight seasons in the same role with the Philadelphia Eagles. Under his leadership, the unit has been a key contributor to the team's historic success in recent seasons. This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions coach Dave Fipp lives his dream in Blue Angels ride-along
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
California Police Pull Over A Weird Bike For A Weird Reason
Read the full story on Backfire News Cops can make up some rather interesting reasons to pull over vehicles, but this weird bike painted to look like a classic Ferrari racecar is equally weird. California Highway Patrol in El Centro pulled the thing over, only realizing afterward it's legally a bicycle, not a car or motorcycle. But the reason for the traffic stop has people rolling their state law enforcement agency posted a photo of the Quatrevelo as well as a CHP cruiser with lights activated sitting behind it. Trying to play the whole thing off as just a funny incident, whomever is in charge of the Facebook account said 'our Officer wanted to make sure the rider was safe and hydrated as he continued on his journey.' Even though it was hot, over 100 degrees on May 22 when this stop was done, people aren't buying CHP was just wanting to make sure the guy inside the weird contraption was hydrated and safe. Instead, many accused the agency of trying to find a reason to write a citation, then turning it into some public good will move when officers realized the thing isn't technically a motor vehicle. We're not attorneys, but we're pretty sure police can't pull someone over because they're concerned about their electrolyte levels. Instead, we wouldn't be surprised if an officer thought the Quatrevelo might be an illegal and unregistered vehicle. In case you're not familiar with the Dutch-built Quatrevelo, it's a velomobile or a faired cycle where the rider is reclined while pedaling. This one has four wheels whereas other velomobiles often have three. For the state of California, and pretty much everywhere else we know of, they're considered bicycles, not motorcycles or cars. Even though this one is painted and even has stickers to make it look somewhat like an old racecar, it's far from such a thing. Why do you think CHP pulled this thing over? If you were the rider, what would you have done? Image via CHP – El Centro/Facebook
Medscape
07-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Uber for Nurses?
While many nurses work set schedules with occasional overtime, Martha Mendez, a registered nurse (RN) in El Centro, California, prefers a more flexible approach to patient care. It's the same way an Uber driver decides when they want to turn on their app and drive clients. Mendez signs up for shifts days — and sometimes hours — in advance and works for multiple health systems to care for patients all over Southern California. She is one of a growing number of nurses who have joined the gig economy. 'After being in a traditional role for many years, I was looking for…more control over my career, my schedule, and my earnings,' Mendez told Medscape Medical News . 'When I learned about the logistics of [gig work], it really caught my attention, and I gave it a shot.' The use of contract or gig workers in healthcare grew 18% from 2014 to 2021, and up to 53% of nurses planned to take on more temporary nursing shifts. Nurses can register with platforms like Float Health, CareRev, ShiftMed, and Clipboard Health to choose shifts that fit their schedules. The model, also known as per diem or float nursing, has been hailed as a potential solution to staffing shortages, allowing health systems to fill short-term staffing gaps and meet immediate patient needs. 'Every state has a nursing shortage…and that shortage is projected to increase,' said Katie Jett, DNP, RN, MSN, dean of the School of Nursing at Ponce Health Sciences University in St. Louis. 'A lot of nurses don't want to work 12-hour shifts and mandatory overtime… [Gig work allows nurses] to book around their schedules or come in for a 4-hour shift, and that is very enticing.' Medscape continually surveys physicians and other medical professionals about key practice challenges and current issues, creating high-impact analyses. For example, in Medscape's Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2023, 13% of RNs and 15% of nurse practitioners (NPs) said that work-life balance was the most rewarding part of their job. 10% of RNs and 11% of NPs said that poor work-life balance was the least rewarding part of their job. If they could do it again, only 1 in 8 nurses would choose the same practice setting. The 'Uber of Nursing' Healthcare is struggling with nursing shortages, widespread burnout, and low job satisfaction, leaving health systems struggling to attract and retain nurses and fill shifts. Currently, 66% of healthcare facilities are not able to operate at full capacity due to staffing shortages. The gig model, once limited to rideshare drivers and food deliveries, has entered healthcare. Nurses choose a gig work platform and complete an onboarding process that often includes proof of licensure and certifications, background checks, and drug screens. Upon approval, platforms post open shifts, and nurses can claim those that match their credentials and specialties. Mendez started picking up shifts through Float Health in 2022. She'd worked in hospital emergency rooms, medical-surgical units, and correctional facilities for more than a decade and loved being at the bedside but felt that working conditions, including mandatory overtime, were 'unacceptable.' At first, Mendez only picked up one or two shifts per month doing at-home infusions for patients and continued to work in her full-time nursing role. The option for a flexible schedule, one-on-one patient care, and higher pay led her to leave that staff role and make the switch to per diem nursing. 'There was no comparison [with pay]; I would absolutely give up a 12-hour shift to take a Float patient for a few hours,' she said. 'But one of the biggest drivers is not money; it's being able to have the peace of mind that I have the balance to care for my family, not only financially, but to be there for them and offer the same care that I offer to others.' Signing bonuses and improved compensation and benefits packages are common approaches to attracting nurses, but nurses also crave flexibility. The latest data show that 33% of nurses wanted to pick up shifts on an as-needed basis and cited the ability to work partial shifts and pick up additional work at different facilities as key areas of career interest. The recognition that gig platforms account for a growing part of the healthcare workforce has led some health systems, including St. Louis-based Mercy Health, to create their own gig work platform. In 2022, Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, launched Mercy Works on Demand, a cloud-based platform that enables nurses to pick up shifts. More than 50 nurses signed up for the 2022 pilot, including full-time school nurses who wanted to earn extra income and RNs who took time off to raise children but wanted to return to the bedside for a few hours per month. The internal float pool concept expanded to other hospitals within the Mercy system. Bon Secours Mercy Health in Cincinnati followed with Andgo in 2024. The program sends text messages about available shifts and allows nurses to claim the gigs. Since going live, the hospital has seen an increase in the number of shifts picked up, resulting in decreased costs and safe patient care, according to Jodi Pahl, RN-BC, DNP, the system chief nursing officer of Workforce, Outcomes, and Experience of Care at Bon Secours Mercy Health. Pahl points to the advantages of an internal model, citing consistent care from nurses trained within the organization and aligned with its culture and standards, adding, 'These nurses are more engaged, adaptable, and cost-effective than gig workers, avoiding the high fees and variability associated with external staffing.' Internal float pools also serve as a retention pipeline for future permanent hires. Critical of the Care Model The expanding gig work in healthcare has raised some concerns. A recent report from the Roosevelt Institute, New York City, called the model a 'Wall Street takeover of US healthcare infrastructure' and warned that gig nursing platforms offer lower rates, fail to guarantee available shifts or offer certainty about the nature of the work, and fail to account for worker safety and patient well-being. Jett is familiar with the concerns. 'We have to take it back to [patient] outcomes,' she said. 'The literature is well documented that consistent care by knowledgeable nurses improves health outcomes for patients, so there's no doubt that you're more likely to get better care with a nurse that knows the unit, knows the policies, knows the procedures, has an orientation…that is the best for our patients.' But she adds that burnout is also linked to lower patient safety, quality of care, and patient satisfaction. There is also some debate about the fees paid to RNs who work on a per diem basis. The average rate for RNs picking up shifts through gig work apps is $59 per hour, according to the Roosevelt Institute report (compared with a median wage of $41.38 per hour), according to However, some apps have a bid-for-gigs model that allows health systems to hire nurses willing to work for the lowest rates. Jett calls it 'algorithmic wage discrimination' and notes that it can drive down rates for gig workers. In addition, nurses working as independent contractors may lack protections like sick leave and unemployment insurance. Despite the criticisms — and the need for real solutions to address nursing shortages, burnout, and unsafe work environments — Jett believes gig work is 'here to stay' in healthcare and encourages solutions that balance the needs of nurses, patients, and health systems. 'My hope is that there is a way to…provide flexibility and work-life balance and fair compensation to nurses,' she said. Gig work might be it.
