San Diego Gas & Electric hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday to celebrate its latest microgrid project in Clairemont that will help store renewable energy for critical infrastructure in the local community.
The new project is one of four microgrids being constructed across San Diego County in an effort to bring an additional 39 megawatts of power to the region.
Each microgrid serves as a mini-grid so to speak that can operate independently of the traditional power system. As California aims for carbon-free goals, policymakers have pushed utility companies like SDG&E to develop projects like this that can store alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power.
Battery storage for electricity has been a critical tool for the state, especially in the face of extreme heat waves that stress the electrical grid and can cause rolling power outages or calls to conserve energy, like the one Californians experienced around Labor Day.
While solar energy is abundant during the day, it tapers off in the evening, which is peak hours for energy usage and often when households run appliances and A/C units during a heatwave.
The neighborhood microgrid is paired with battery storage to help tackle that issue so the renewable energy can be accessed as needed.
During peak hours of the heat wave, utility-scale battery storage systems — both utility and third-party-owned — in SDG&E’s service territory served as much as 7 percent of the regional load.
“Energy storage and microgrids make it possible for our region to keep the lights on during grid emergencies, such as extreme heat waves,” said Miguel Romero, SDG&E vice president of energy innovation. “They also help us maximize the use of renewable energy and extend its availability into the evening hours after the sun sets.”
SDG&E also has microgrid projects underway in Tierrasanta, and in the community of Boulevard and Paradise Hills in southeastern San Diego County.
Romero said that in developing these projects it’s important to bring energy storage to the region, and in rural communities that support the demand.
The Clairemont microgrid, located on the corner of Derrick Drive and Chateau Drive, will support backup power for a fire station, Balboa Branch Library and local schools such as Lafayette Elementary, Sequoia Elementary, Innovation and CPMA Middle Schools and Madison High School.
Jennifer Campbell, San Diego city councilmember for district two, said that having projects like this in the community helps bring certainty if the larger power grid goes out.
She added that it will help keep the power on at important neighborhood structures like the cool zone at the library “and help everybody be prepared for sustainability, as we see the climate changing and getting warmer every year.”
“Mitigating the impacts of climate change requires infrastructure investments to strengthen our regional emergency preparedness and resiliency so we can bounce back quickly from disasters and avoid extended outages,” said Campbell.
Romero said the project is projected to be up and running by next summer. SDG&E could not disclose the cost of the project per California Public Utilities Commission guidelines.
In October, SDG&E held a groundbreaking for another microgrid project in Tierrasanta that will provide 10 megawatts of electricity to California’s electric grid.
The public utility company currently has 95 megawatts of utility-owned energy storage online and more than 200 megawatts in development.
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