Published: 15 Apr 2021, 06:48
By:
Andy Colthorpe
The basics of how a community microgrid built under the scheme would work to supply customers and critical facilities like hospitals in the event of outages or PSPS events. Image: PG&E.
Communities at risk of losing their electricity supply in the service area of California utility PG&E when disasters strike are being supported in developing their own microgrids through a new scheme announced by the utility this week.
PG&E, one of California’s three big investor-owned utility companies, is rolling out the Community Microgrid Enablement Program (CMEP), which will offer assistance for the design and deployment of microgrids which can be islanded and operate independently of the main grid operated by PG&E.