California investor-owned utility San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) said on Wednesday it will deploy more than a dozen microgrid projects with energy storage systems in the city of San Diego. Similar announcements have been made elsewhere in the state.
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on June 24 to build four microgrid projects with battery energy storage systems at existing substations in the San Diego area, with a total scale of 39MW/ 180MWh.
These projects will help California meet peak electricity demand, especially during hot summers and peak electricity demand periods when solar power is low. They will be able to operate independently or in parallel with the larger regional grid, ensuring critical community facilities remain powered during grid outages.
The projects, named Clairemont, Boulevard, Paradise and Elliott, will all have the capacity to power a range of public facilities in San Diego, including schools, fire and police stations, post offices and health care facilities, and will be operational by summer 2023.
The microgrid project deployed by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) stems from the California State of Emergency Proclamation issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom last summer, which called for accelerated action on clean energy projects to ensure the state can survive the summer of 2022 and beyond. Deploying more renewable sources, including battery storage systems with installed capacity of 20MW or more, lasting more than two hours, and effectively exempting certain permits and permitting requirements.
