SDG&E unveils innovative microgrids in grid resilience bid

Californian utility San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has unveiled four new microgrids with advanced remote operation capabilities and safety technologies to help enhance grid reliability.

The four microgrid and energy storage sites will help address surging energy demands in the San Diego region, especially during hot summer days and the peak evening hours when solar power generation typically diminishes and there is a significant strain on the grid.

The ability to remotely operate microgrids, says SDG&E in a release, offers real-time monitoring, faster response to grid events, more efficient energy storage management and enhanced grid resilience.

Additionally, the systems, located in the communities of Clairemont, Tierra Santa, Paradise and Boulevard, utilise lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells and have advanced safety and fire prevention features.

Caroline Winn, SDG&E’s chief executive officer, commented: “Storage and microgrids are key to helping build a more resilient electric grid that can extend the availability of cleaner energy and help our communities better manage through grid emergencies like the extreme heat experienced in recent summers.

“These microgrids will actively dispatch clean energy to the grid when needed and help improve energy resiliency for critical facilities like fire stations, schools, and cooling centres in San Diego.”

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The four microgrids will operate independently or in tandem with the larger regional grid and offer a combined storage capacity of approximately 39MW and 180MWh across four SDG&E substations.

Each facility will be connected to the state energy market, allowing the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to dispatch these resources as needed to help maintain a balanced supply and demand of energy throughout the state.

Said Nora Vargas, San Diego County Board supervisor: “For communities like mine that often experience outages during power emergencies, we welcome infrastructure that will help keep our lights on and our refrigerators running during difficult times.

“Enhancing our power grid is an important first step in making sure all communities have access to basic resources during a crisis, especially for our local schools, fire stations and medical centres.”

In December 2021, the California Public Utilities Commission granted the green light to SDG&E to move forward with the projects, which were initially set into motion in response to Gover Newsom’s State Emergency Proclamation in the summer of 2021, which has since ended.

Curbing peak demand has been a point of urgency in the state due to the recurring electricity blackouts in summer, resulting from increasing demand on the power grid due to surging heat.

In response, utilities implemented new approaches towards demand side management, such as a ‘critical window’ virtual power plant set up by Sunrun and PG&E early in 2023. Over Summer, during which time the state did not experience blackouts, this programme was utilised by the state’s biggest utility to access 8,500 residential batteries to provide consistent energy to the power grid.