The idea that rooftop solar and other distributed resources could avoid the need for new power lines isn’t theory. In its 2017-2018 transmission plan, California’s grid operator cancelled 20 new transmission projects and revised 21 more due to energy efficiency and residential solar power altering load forecasts, with a projected savings of $2.6 billion.
California’s wildfire crisis will enter an unprecedented new stage Wednesday as PG&E plans to begin cutting power to about 800,000 customers, shutting down the electric lines that have sparked many of the state’s worst blazes and setting off a chaotic scramble of people preparing for an outage that could last a week in some places.
After Hurricane Irma and then Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico and ripped out its electricity infrastructure, renewables developers quickly descended on the island to offer clean energy and resilient solutions such as battery storage, residential solar and microgrids. Leading industry names like Tesla, Sunrun and Siemens all angled to get a slice of what was seen […]
Six of the 10 most-destructive wildfires in California’s history have occurred over the past two years, and the state’s aging electrical infrastructure is a big part of the problem.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s preemptive power outages during times of high fire risk are prompting some West Marin officials to consider other ways to be more self-sufficient with its energy.
Utilities are proposing a range of costly investments to the central grid that may take decades, which still leave “substantial risk” for power outages, says “California’s Critical Facility Challenge: The Case for Energy as a Service Municipal Microgrids,” prepared by Navigant for Schneider Electric.
In response to the wildfires that plagued California over the past 2 years (which led to the bankruptcy filing of Pacific Gas and Electric [PG&E]), a series of proposed solutions are on the table. One such solution includes the intentional shut-downs of the power grid during times of high fire risk.
Scale Microgrid Solutions today launched its Rapid Response Modular Microgrid (R2M2) platform aimed at helping communities and businesses in California mitigate the impact of power grid disruptions such as the Public Safety Power Shutoffs planned by utilities during the upcoming wildfire season.
A plan by California’s biggest utility to cut power on high-wind days during the onrushing wildfire season could plunge millions of residents into darkness. And most people aren’t ready.