IO NEWS
In a recent article written by Utility Drive, challenges in responding to the 2019 call for utility scale Microgrids have been identified. As stated:
"Responses from 'a robust set of qualified vendors' showed that 'building a microgrid for 2020 is cost prohibitive, because of the limited deployment timeframe,' Southern California Edison Director of Energy Policy Shinjini Menon told Utility Dive. 'The best case scenario would cost about 13 times more than alternative solutions and would not include clean energy technologies, so we have decided not to move forward with a microgrid deployment for the 2020 wildfire season.' Instead of microgrids, SCE will work on grid hardening measures, like covering conductors and increasing the sectionalization capabilities that allow utilities to reduce the size of system sections affected by [outages]."
This recent decision highlights a huge vulnerability in California. Not only have previous attempts at Microgrids been reliant on diesel generation, developers have been unable to propose solutions that can be considered economically viable.
The recent Covid 19 pandemic was not cited as a reason for this pause on Microgrid developments, though its effects on Microgrid supply chains may have been a compounding factor.
More so, in these times of uncertainty, the resounding need for self-reliance and islandable microgrids becomes even more pronounced. Public Safety Power Shutoffs will continue to occur, as the Californian fire seasons will not recede simply out of convenience during this Covid 19 crisis. Outages or fires, during a quarantine, poses incredible risk to the safety and well-being of Californians as a whole.
Proponents of renewable energy, developers, utilities, and the State must work together to develop creative solutions to address this risk. A recent white paper by Sunrun, seen here, claims that Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Microgrids installed by homeowners and business owners may be more viable than relying on large utility scale developments. In addition, fuel cell technology and demand response initiatives, such as those promoted by Instant On, seen here, may have a crucial role to play in order to evolve the electrical grid towards a more resilient and robust state.
In these trying times, it becomes clear that companies must work together now, more than ever, to develop solutions for our community. In times of crisis, we must not leave our communities in the dark.