Californian utility awarded $5m grant for solar microgrid expansion
PV Magazine, February 18, 2015
A utility that services 3.4 million customers in southern California has been granted $5 million to expand the Borrego Springs microgrid and enable it to use the 26 MW of solar PV energy generated at the nearby Borrego Solar facility.
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has been awarded the funds by the Californian Energy Commission (CEC) and will not only expand the microgrid to service all of the Borrego Springs area, but will also invest in more clean power.
The campaign is expected to make the Borrego Springs microgrid one of the largest in the country able to operate solely on renewable energy.
Currently, the microgrid uses local power generation, energy storage and automated switching to create a resilient local grid. It is connected to the centralized energy grid and is able to disconnect and function independently in the face of emergencies or power outages. It has previously proven useful at keeping the lights on in times of power cuts.