The California Energy Commission recently awarded San Diego Gas and Electric a nearly $5 million grant to expand the innovative Borrego Springs Microgrid. The grant will allow the Microgrid to use the nearby 26-megawatt (MW) Borrego Solar facility to power the entire community, making this one of the nation's largest microgrids that can operate solely on renewable energy. In addition to bringing in more clean power, the funding will be used to increase the size of the Microgrid to service all of Borrego Springs, further enhancing local reliability and reducing the duration of power outages.
"SDG&E is very proud to receive this award from the California Energy Commission," said James P. Avery, SDG&E's senior vice president for power supply. "This funding will create a true renewable energy Microgrid, one that not only bolsters local electric reliability, but does so by using the cleanest resources available. This project combines our core priorities of enhancing reliability, promoting innovation and connecting to more clean energy, and we greatly appreciate the CEC's support in making this happen."
The Borrego Springs Microgrid uses advanced technologies – including local power generation, energy storage, and automated switching – to create a more resilient local grid. The Microgrid is connected to the centralized energy grid, but can disconnect from the larger grid and function independently during emergencies, supplying vital electricity to the local community through its onsite resources. The Microgrid has already kept electricity flowing to the community during several power outages, demonstrating its potential to benefit all customers.
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