RICHMOND, Calif.—Aug. 10, 2022—New Sun Road partners with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to provide its Stellar Microgrid OS™ as the remote monitoring and control platform for PG&E’s growing fleet of hybrid renewable energy standalone power systems. These rural grids can permanently replace overhead distribution power lines or provide power during Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) in High Fire-Threat Districts (HFTD), improving reliability and significantly reducing wildfire risk.
Throughout PG&E’s 70,000 square-mile service area, isolated pockets of remote customers are served via long electric distribution lines that in many cases traverse through HFTD areas. Replacing these distribution lines with a reliable and low-carbon local energy source is an innovative option that has now become a feasible and, in many cases, preferred option for serving remote customers at the edges of the grid.
“PG&E has identified many locations where remote grids may be the most effective way of reducing wildfire risk and improving electric reliability in the communities we’re privileged to serve. As we expand the use of Standalone Power Systems, we now have a standardized platform for our operations, engineering, and asset management teams that will help us understand and manage real-time and historic system performance,” said Jason Glickman, PG&E’s Executive Vice President, Engineering, Planning and Strategy.
“New Sun Road’s Stellar platform will manage PG&E’s fleet of standalone systems, ensuring maximized solar usage and high reliability,” said Jalel Sager, New Sun Road CEO and co-founder. “Stellar remotely operates systems in over 23 countries, and we’re proud that our technology will now enable more resilient clean energy in California.”
The Stellar-managed system uses solar energy, combined with battery storage and backup propane generation to provide electricity to remote customers as an alternative to traditional poles and wires. Stellar’s machine learning algorithms optimize performance to ensure maximum usage of clean energy. With plans to scale the program to more than 30 systems by 2026, additional remote grid sites are currently being assessed across HFTDs in PG&E’s service area, including El Dorado, Mariposa, Tulare and Tehama counties, which will be managed on New Sun Road’s Stellar platform.
In Briceburg, California, PG&E’s first Stand Alone Power system has been operating successfully using New Sun Road’s Stellar for over a year. And it remained operational throughout the duration of the recent Oak Fire, while many power lines serving customers around the fire’s footprint were de-energized for safety.
PG&E’s press release can be found here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220811005649/en/Improving-Safety-and-Reliability-PGE-Developing-Several-New-Remote-Grid-Systems-to-Replace-Overhead-Powerlines-and-Promote-More-Wireless-Power-in-High-Fire-Threat-Areas