Short answer: not from the ocean directly, not yet. San Diego's tides are small, wave power is still in testing, and the gravity trick that does work here is pumped storage at Lake Hodges. Today: tide swing from -0.2 ft to 5.5 ft at La Jolla, waves about 3 ft at 13 seconds at the Torrey Pines buoy, and SDG&E paying about 5.5¢ for solar at noon vs 19.2¢ at 6pm.
Tidal power: the moon's pull, harnessed
The moon's gravity raises and lowers the sea twice a day. Where that swing is big, a dam across an estuary or turbines in a fast tidal channel turn it into electricity. It works: France's La Rance (240 MW, opened 1966, tides around 26 ft), South Korea's Sihwa Lake (254 MW, completed 2011), and Scotland's MeyGen underwater turbines (running since 2018).
Why not here: NOAA's mean tide range at La Jolla is 3.69 ft (great diurnal range 5.33 ft, NOAA datums). That is a fraction of the swing that makes a tidal plant pay.
Wave power: still in testing
Oregon's PacWave calls itself the nation's first grid-connected open-ocean wave energy test facility. Eco Wave Power lists a Port of Los Angeles project. Storms, saltwater and permitting keep it expensive. Today's swell off Torrey Pines: about 3 ft at 13 seconds (NOAA buoy 46225).
The gravity battery in our backyard
Since 2012, a San Diego County Water Authority and City of San Diego pipeline connects Lake Hodges with Olivenhain Reservoir. Water is pumped uphill at night when electricity is cheap, then flows back down through generators at peak demand (Lake Hodges). Same idea as a home battery, at the scale of a lake.
The move that works today
Make power when it is cheap, use or store it for 4-9pm. Today SDG&E pays about 5.5¢/kWh for exported solar at noon and 19.2¢ at 6pm. See power today and what selling solar back actually pays. Battery or solar question? Text PJ.
Need a human?
This page is built every morning from public data by SideGuy, run by PJ, a local in Solana Beach. If something looks off, or you want a hand with your plans, text PJ at 858-461-8054. A real person answers.
Local help, free to read: make your fix plan · senior benefits checkup · lower your SDG&E bill · Medicare Extra Help · the next 90 days. Plans start as low as $25.
Questions people ask
Does San Diego have tidal power?
No commercial tidal plant. NOAA's mean tide range at La Jolla is 3.69 ft, far smaller than places like La Rance in France (about 26 ft), where tidal power pays.
Is wave energy used in California?
It is in testing and pilots. Eco Wave Power lists a Port of Los Angeles project, and Oregon's PacWave is a grid-connected open-ocean wave energy test facility.
Is there gravity-based energy storage near San Diego?
Yes. Since 2012 water is pumped from Lake Hodges up to Olivenhain Reservoir at night and run back through generators at peak demand.
Know someone who needs this?
Something changed here? Text PJ and we'll update this page.
More free local tools: the North County toolkit.