California Microgrids Flex Their Skills During Blackouts

By Lisa Cohn, Microgrid Knowledge

California microgrids stepped up during the mid-August rolling blackouts, delivering flexible load and providing backup electricity, as extreme heat left the state short on power.

Stone Edge Farm’s microgrid and three microgrids operated by Bloom Energy were among those that provided resiliency for their owners and community members on August 15. Other microgrids — including those at Blue Lake Rancheria, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and a series of home microgrids operated by OhmConnect — provided hundreds of kilowatt hours of much-needed flexible load.In addition, the US Navy and Marine Corps disconnected 22 ships from shore power, transitioned a submarine base to backup generators and activated several microgrid facilities resulting in approximately 23.5 MW of load reduction, said the California Energy Commission (CEC), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The three agencies worked with the Navy and Marine Corps on those efforts.

And six microgrids funded by the state’s Electric Program Investment Charge reduced load by a total of approximately 1.2 MW each day, the letter said.

“The whole situation is a testament to what conservation and quick action can do,“ said Jana Ganion, director of sustainability and government affairs at Blue Lake Rancheria, a Humboldt County tribal facility that voluntarily moved two microgrids into island mode to free up power.

“The call for help went out from a number of people including the governor and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) to conserve and take demand off the grid. People responded,” she said, adding that the response helped avert additional blackouts.

Home as hero

In fact, a network of home microgrids and networked home appliances controlled by OhmConnect...Continue reading on Microgrid Knowledge.