Solar Energy Writer
  • Home
  • About
  • Writing Services
    • SOLAR ENERGY
    • CLEANTECH
    • ENERGY EFFICIENCY
    • GREEN CONSTRUCTION
  • Portfolio
    • BLOG
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Californians Look to Home Batteries as Backup for Unreliable Electric Grid

7/31/2020

 
Picture
By Sarah Lozanova, Solar PV Writer
​

Residents are buying generators and battery storage systems in anticipation of outages.

​Millions of California residents are bracing themselves for wildfire season’s peak. Bone-dry air and high winds are a recipe for disaster—one that brings catastrophic losses and sudden evacuations. Sadly, some of the most destructive fires in the state’s history were likely ignited by sparks from utility lines and exacerbated by heat and dryness.

Utility shut-offs to prevent wildfires affect millions
There are concerns that the state’s power grid was neither adequately designed nor maintained for this intensely dry season fueled by climate change. To help safeguard communities, utility companies have implemented massive preemptive power shut-offs when the risk of wildfires is highest. These preventive measures help avoid costly property damage and save lives. However, the power shut-offs are widely criticized because these disruptions affect the daily lives of millions. Though short outages are inconvenient, many of these pre-emptive shut-offs have lasted days—or even weeks.

Blackouts upend daily life
Lengthy power outages are severely disruptive. In many cases, residents and business owners were unaware that their power would be turned off and were left unprepared. Without electricity, many houses do not have functional telecommunications, internet, refrigeration, air conditioning, medical equipment, hot water, or cooking. Businesses were forced to shut their doors during the power outages, leaving the community without essential services.

Read More...
Image Credit: James Brooks

Californians Look to Home Batteries as Backup - Solar Energy

    Sarah Lozanova

    Freelance clean energy writer

    Archives

    January 2021
    November 2020
    July 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    May 2019
    October 2018
    June 2018
    April 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    Cohousing
    Corporate Social Responsibility
    CSR
    Electric Vehicles
    Energy Efficiency
    Green Building
    Intentional Communities
    Recycling
    Residential Solar
    Solar Batteries
    Solar Energy
    Solar Panels
    Solar Power
    Solar Pv
    Solar Thermal
    Wind Energy
    Wind Power

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • About
  • Writing Services
    • SOLAR ENERGY
    • CLEANTECH
    • ENERGY EFFICIENCY
    • GREEN CONSTRUCTION
  • Portfolio
    • BLOG
  • Testimonials
  • Contact