Holmes Western Oil Corp Leads California’s Energy Innovation

Across California, a new wave of energy innovation is transforming how traditional industries operate. One standout example is Rondo Energy, a Bay Area startup that recently activated the world’s largest industrial heat battery to help power Holmes Western Oil Corp. in Kern County. This partnership demonstrates how renewable technologies can be integrated into existing operations to increase efficiency, lower emissions, and reduce costs.

Rondo’s system combines a 20-megawatt solar array with a 100-megawatt-hour brick-based battery, which captures solar power and stores it as heat. That heat is then used to generate steam for enhanced oil recovery. 

Projects like this show how collaboration between innovative startups and established producers can deliver real results and reduce emissions, improve energy reliability, and position California as a leader in next-generation energy solutions.

The California Resources Corporation’s TerraVault initiative is another forward-looking effort, focused on carbon capture, utilization, and storage. It represents a complementary approach to cutting industrial emissions while protecting jobs and sustaining domestic energy production.

Together, these initiatives reflect how California’s energy sector is investing in technology, efficiency, and sustainability to ensure a balanced path forward. California oil producers continue charting the course for responsible production that strengthens the economy, supports communities, and protects the environment.