PG&E Launches Standalone Power System to Combat Wildfires
California-based PG&E has built the first-ever standalone power system (SPS) designed to help mitigate the threat of forest fires and other natural disasters on the company’s electric supply. The remote system, called the Briceburg Remote Grid, was built in the Sierra Nevada foothills high fire-threat district (HFTD).
The idea is very clever, and revolves around replacing distribution lines with a hybrid, renewable, remote power system. This is similar to islanding and microgrids, and in theory should help reduce outages by fragmenting the grid.
Why the PG&E Standalone Power System Makes Sense
The state of California is subject to a number of risks, and the largest electric utility in the state is at the mercy of it all. It’s an extremely challenging situation to say the least, which is why the company has been tirelessly working on various tactics designed to fortify the grid against fire and other damaging natural disasters. In 2021, the company plans to spend almost $5 billion on these efforts.
Traditional distribution infrastructure creates the risk of transmission-sparked wildfires. This is especially true in rural areas that have power lines running through heavily-forested areas. Power lines in these types of locations are not only more vulnerable, they are also more difficult to rebuild.
A standalone power system, on the other hand, is better than a traditional pole and wire infrastructure because it can enhance reliability via isolation to prevent the effect of infrastructure damage spreading, it is cheaper and easier to build compared to traditional poles and wires, and it should help reduce greenhouse gas emissions to support California’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045.
The PG&E SPS was built by a company called BoxPower, and it encompasses solar power, battery storage technology, and a backup propane generator. The system can be monitored via satellite by PG&E as well as BoxPower, and it will provide power to two homes, a visitor center, and a few telecom and transportation facilities.
This particular standalone power system is one of many that PG&E plans to build in its California service territory. In fact, the company has already identified hundreds of potential sites, and plans to erect an SPS on 20 of them by year-end 2022.
Kudos to PG&E!
