Shasta County: Recently Completed Temporary Microgrid Will Enable Key Facilities in Shingletown to Stay in Power during PSPS Events

By Paul Moreno

PG&E has completed a temporary microgrid project that will provide power to key services in Shingletown in the event of a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event.

The temporary microgrid was constructed next to Reed’s Market on Highway 44 in the unincorporated community of Shingletown in eastern Shasta County. PG&E will be able to rapidly connect mobile generators to the site, allowing a medical facility, fire station, gas stations, markets, and restaurants among other businesses, facilities and community services to remain energized during future PSPS events impacting the area.

A temporary microgrid, which will help power key services in the event of a PSPS event, was recently constructed next to Reed’s Market on Highway 44 in the unincorporated community of Shingletown in eastern Shasta County.

The Shingletown temporary microgrid energization zone includes nearly 80 PG&E customers served by underground power lines who can safely be energized during a PSPS event. The zone is in the general vicinity of Highway 44, extending between Shingle Glen Trail and Alpine Meadows Road.

The Shingletown microgrid is just one of many comprehensive and cost-effective microgrid projects PG&E is rolling out, designed to reduce the number of customers affected by PSPS events and mitigate the impacts to those who remain affected. A PSPS may be used when severe weather threatens a portion of the electric system and PG&E determines it’s necessary to turn off electricity to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

With the increased wildfire threat in California, PG&E is enhancing and expanding its efforts to reduce wildfire risks and keep its customers and the communities we serve safe. High temperatures, extreme dryness and high winds create conditions where any spark at the wrong time and place could lead to a major wildfire.

PG&E’s Community Wildfire Safety Program includes installing new grid technology, hardening the electric system and performing enhanced vegetation management, all with the goal of making PSPS events smaller in size, shorter in length, and smarter for customers.

“As PG&E continues our enhanced and expanded efforts to reduce wildfire risks, we are also working to reduce the scope, duration and impact of future PSPS events. A key piece of this strategy is developing and deploying microgrids,” said Carl Schoenhofer, senior manager of PG&E’s North Valley Division.

Putting the microgrid site in Shingletown into operation will require about a one-hour power outage to those nearly 80 customers to safely connect the generator and about a one-hour outage to safely disconnect generator power and restore grid power. However, the community will benefit from having power during a PSPS event.

Temporary generation microgrid solutions

For 2020, PG&E’s microgrid solutions focus on building grid resilience and keeping power on in communities most likely to experience a PSPS event. To do that, PG&E has reserved more than 450 megawatts of temporary mobile generation to be deployed in four ways:

• Substation microgrids: PG&E will use temporary generation at priority substations to support safe-to-energize customers and communities affected by transmission line outages during PSPS events. PG&E is preparing 61 substations to be ready to connect temporary generators as need arises during PSPS events, subject to operational logistics and generator availability.

Temporary microgrids: PG&E will serve designated areas like “main street” corridors by rapidly isolating them from the wider grid and re-energizing them using temporary generation during an outage. These temporary microgrids will be used in selected communities, such as Shingletown, where PG&E can safely provide electricity to centrally located resources such as medical facilities and pharmacies, police and fire stations, gas stations, and banks.

• Backup power support: PG&E will deploy temporary generation on an as-needed basis to critical customers for whom the failure of existing backup power would directly or indirectly affect public safety. Deployment would be dependent on generator availability and subject to operational considerations. Additionally, working with the California Hospital Association and Hospital Council of Northern and Central California to identify hospitals supporting the COVID-19 response effort with a higher likelihood of experiencing a PSPS event, PG&E is developing solutions and supporting hospital readiness and resiliency planning to ensure that those hospitals remain energized.

• Community Resource Centers: PG&E will open Community Resource Centers to support customers and communities affected by PSPS events. Some of these facilities may need temporary generation in order to give customers a climate-controlled location where they can charge devices and receive refreshments. PG&E remains flexible with CRC deployment plans to adjust to the COVID-19 restrictions and best practices.

Community microgrid enablement program

In June, the CPUC approved the Community Microgrid Enablement Program where PG&E will partner with local communities to identify and build multi-customer microgrids serving local critical facilities and/or customers with disabilities or functional needs who are not already served by other microgrid solutions offered by PG&E. The program will provide communities with technical support, access to utility information, financial support for qualifying projects, and tariffs to support the flow of services, energy, and costs among the parties. PG&E will consult with local governments and communities to refine program requirements, aiming for full program implementation and projects in development by November.

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