The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently approved a request from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to update its Community Microgrid Enablement Tariff, broadly expanding the eligibility requirements of where microgrids connected to PG&E’s electric distribution infrastructure can be built.
Featured as an exemplar of PG&E’s leadership around developing microgrids and community resilience solutions, the Oakland EcoBlock is a first-of-its-kind neighborhood retrofit that aims to demonstrate a net-zero energy, block-level microgrid in Oakland’s Fruitvale district.
EcoBlock includes updating participating homes with advanced energy efficiency measures, deploying a solar-powered microgrid and associated components, shared electric vehicles, and a new approach for coordinating these resources among neighbors.
“If community microgrids are to play a crucial role in advancing California’s policy goals, it is imperative that practical experience with diverse design and operating approaches be gained as quickly as possible. PG&E’s recent eligibility expansion will mean more microgrid adoption and fresh perspectives on what works best for California’s communities,” said Dr. Alexandra “Sascha” von Meier, the co-Principal Investigator (PI) for EcoBlock and director of electric grid research at the California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE).