Jump to navigation
By 05/19/2021
With a record-breaking drought in the works after three successive major wildfire seasons, we clearly need to be better prepared in 2021. Luckily, local institutions are stepping up to the plate. Although utilities such as PG&E have developed some temporary fixes like public safety power shutoffs, we need longer-term solutions. Relying upon traditional fossil fuel backup generators is a temporary stopgap that does not represent a viable solution for our future.
The better solution is microgrids, which can create small islands of power leveraging cleaner resources such as solar panels and batteries to keep power flowing for critical community assets when the larger grid goes down. I’ve studied the evolution of microgrids, which are now affordable and viable thanks to innovations from private sector financing, for over 10 years. New programs offered by MCE, formerly known as Marin Clean Energy, are having a major impact after a stumbling