IO NEWS

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As reported by nbcnews.com, "California is bracing for the possibility of a devastating wildfire season amid the coronavirus pandemic. One nightmare sequence of events could have California hospitals filled with patients from a resurgent coronavirus while a wildfire in the north forces the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents and blankets vast areas in smoke — potentially making people more susceptible to the respiratory symptoms of COVID-19. Adding to this are the possibilities that crucial firefighters get sidelined by a viral outbreak at an operations camp and that the state’s troubled utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Corp., shuts off power to millions of customers to reduce the risk of sparking blazes. 'It’s a realistic scenario,' said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the governor's Office of Emergency Services. 'All of the above could happen.'"

This has, indeed, already happened.  Through observing the first 2020 power outage in California, as example, we've already seen the hint of what may be to come if we do not stay focused in our efforts to create connected and resilient distributed energy resources. While utilities like PG&E and SCE have abandoned big microgrid plans for temporary emergency measures as wildfire season nears, the industry as a whole must come together to insist on resiliency.  

 Amid Covid-19, the CPUC virtually approved plans to prepare for 2020 wildfire mitigation, and to deploy microgrids and resiliency strategies to support communities and infrastructure threatened by power outages. “Wildfire season will begin soon and, if like last year, it will surge this fall, bringing Public Safety Power Shut-offs and other outages” said CPUC Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma. “Microgrids using independent energy supply can provide essential backup and resiliency for communities affected. This proposed microgrid decision would appropriately require utilities to expedite deployment, all towards assuring essential services such as clean water, emergency services, and medical support can continue, especially in disadvantaged communities and among the access and functional needs populations.” The approved decision "orders utilities to prioritize, streamline, and expedite microgrids and resiliency projects that could be put in place by September 1, 2020, and requires collaboration with local and tribal governments. The proposal is intended to rapidly develop and deploy projects that could keep electricity on for critical facilities and other customers during power outages." 

Stakeholders such as Tesla urged the public utility commission to go further, and to request for even more renewables to be solicited, as much of the PUC plan included diesel generation. As stated within an article by Microgrid Knowledge, “'The commission could set the expectation that PG&E’s [request for offers] should be truly all source, prioritize clean energy solutions, and encompass centralized facilities as well as allow for consideration of more distributed approaches, including opportunities to leverage existing distributed energy resources, or combinations of the two,' Tesla said."

In the eyes of Instant ON, if companies and individuals were to want to participate in the initiative to utilize clean energy and microgrids to combat power outages from the upcoming fire season, the best way to prepare would be through attending Microgrid Knowledge's Virtual 2020 conference. 

The event is designed for businesses, homeowners, hospitals, colleges, connected community developers, data centers, critical facilities, government, utilities and other renewable energy and distributed energy resource advocates who value reliable, clean and cost-effective energy.

As stated within a recent email by Microgrid Knowledge, "The (FREE) Microgrid Virtual Conference (June 1-3, 2020) is a unique opportunity to engage with a truly global audience, and there are numerous reasons to attend live next week! 

1. Expert Speakers — Hear from leading companies, customers, and government decision makers via interactive virtual sessions.
2. Going Beyond the Session —Everyone who registers not only gets access to all of our great speakers and interactive sessions, but can also access our comprehensive Microgrid Resource Library — all for free!
3. Every Angle — With 15 different sessions, more than 50 speakers, and a multitude of different resources, our virtual event will provide insights into every facet of the microgrid industry, from manufacturing to operations.
4. Your Questions, Answered — With thousands in attendance, we want to make sure that you can get your questions answered and have set up a way for you to ask questions in advance! Just fill out this form to share questions with moderators for consideration.
5. A Global Industry, in One Place — The Microgrid Virtual Conference is the only place where the international microgrid industry will gather this year, with thousands in attendance from around the globe. This is your chance to hear from global leaders and expand your horizons."

Perhaps best of all, not only it is free to register, Instant ON will be presenting! This is a great chance to learn more about our company, what we do, and how microgrids deliver more affordable, reliable, and resilient energy solutions all around the world! AJ Perkins, president of Instant ON, will be presenting on June 2nd, 10am (EDT) on a panel with Michael Bakas and Mark Martyak, on the topic "Staying the Course on Clean Energy in a Time of Societal Disruption." AJ  will be sharing insights about how microgrids can help society stay the course through their use and management of energy resources. We hope that you join us!  See the full agenda here.