Posts

Go With the Flow: Battery System in Bonita to be Tested for Use in Microgrids

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

A battery storage demonstration project already providing a carbon-free source of electricity to California’s grid is about to be tested to see how well it can work on microgrids.

Located on a bluff at a San Diego Gas & Electric substation in Bonita, the energy storage project uses vanadium redox flow battery technology that stores electricity when the grid has excess supply and then discharges the energy when the power system needs it.

Full Story

Opinion: Can We Have a Power Grid That is Both Renewable and Reliable?

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Julia Levin

With more than 4 million acres burned this year – shattering a state record – California’s wildfire season came with a wicked ferocity, along with the climate-induced crises of crippling heatwaves and forced power outages.

Full Story

Can Community Microgrids Fill the Gap in California’s Plans for 100% Renewable Energy?

/in , /by /PV Magazineby K Kaufmann

The Goleta load pocket is a 70-mile stretch of Southern California coastline that includes the cities of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and Goleta — combined population around 220,000 — all served by one 220-kV transmission line snaking its way over 40 miles of mountainous terrain.

Full Story

Opinion: California Needs Clean, Healthy and Safe Local Energy Systems – Microgrids

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Steve Weissman and Barry Vesser

With climate change-amplified wildfires and power shut-offs becoming commonplace, all Californians are worried about how to stay safe and keep the lights on. Thousands have already purchased dirty, dangerous and noisy fossil fuel generators that exacerbate air pollution and climate change.

New research suggests that polluted air is linked to higher COVID-19 death rates. And coronavirus is expected to be with us through the 2020 fire season. Is it a good idea to add tons of dangerous particulate matter to the air we breathe during a pandemic that attacks the respiratory system? Of course not.

Full Story