California has been experiencing an increase in wildfires due to climate change, with record occurrences in areas that were not historically prone to them. The fires have cost billions and taken lives. For the 46 million Americans living next to forests, known as the “wildland-urban interface” (WUI), the risks of wildfire can be especially acute. Microgrids can be an effective solution to build resilience in vulnerable communities. By using small-scale, local energy sources and disconnecting from regional grids during emergencies, they can deliver essential services to keep homes and communities safe. However, conventional microgrids with diesel generators are too expensive and too polluting to be viable at scale.
Clean Energy Microgrids as a Solution
An international team led by research scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has found that clean energy microgrids offer a better and cheaper solution for protecting California communities from wildfire-related outages, compared to conventional microgrids. The microgrids primarily rely on solar and batteries and can be built at a cost well below what households typically pay for electricity. They can reduce the impact of power outages by minimizing public safety power shutdown time by a factor of up to 30.
“This is the first detailed, state-level study that’s looked at how clean energy microgrids can minimize outage impacts on vulnerable communities, and how much it would cost,” said Tianzhen Hong, a co-author and senior scientist in the Building Technology & Urban Systems Division at Berkeley Lab. The models developed for the Applied Energy study can help interested parties understand where these communities are located, how clean energy microgrids could be designed, and how much it would cost to reduce outages below a desired threshold.
The study evaluated clean energy microgrids in seven locations with different climatic conditions across California’s vast WUI, which spans the state. Novel modeling tools developed for the study helped researchers select communities based on wildfire risk and renewable energy potential, and then design microgrids to meet the specific needs of households in wildfire-prone areas, where heating and cooling account for most energy use.
The microgrids, which included conventional generators but rarely used them, enabled communities to run on at least 60% renewable energy year-round, while significantly reducing heating and cooling emissions and minimizing the burden renewables can impose on regional grids.
Promoting Energy Equity
Clean energy microgrids can also promote energy equity by providing equal access to clean technologies and their associated benefits. Most WUI communities are not wealthy, and they can be disadvantaged by issues relating to access, mobility, and public health. “We’re really talking about equity here,” Hong said. “The technology can be really good, but at the end of the day, if people can’t afford it then nothing happens.” Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, extensive federal support has been directed towards the type of community energy installations the study describes.
As a next step, Hong and Dasun Perera, a former Berkeley Lab postdoc who is now a researcher at the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment at Princeton University, hope to work with stakeholders, including city governments, utilities, and others, to help design actual microgrids that deliver real-world benefits while furthering their research capabilities. All data from the study is freely available to the public, and with additional development, its models could support public planning efforts.
Clean energy microgrids offer a promising solution to protect California communities from wildfire-related power outages. The technology is not only cheaper but also promotes energy equity, providing equal access to clean technologies and their associated benefits. With extensive federal support directed towards this type of community energy installations, it is a positive step towards building resilience in vulnerable communities.
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