Page 28 - North American Clean Energy May/June 2020 Issue

solar energy
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MAY•JUNE 2020 ///
www.nacleanenergy.com
Lessons Learned from California
Building a resilient grid
by Lior Handelsman
CALIFORNIA’S WILDFIRES AND PLANNED
power shutoffs are looming, home and business owners in high risk areas are becoming blackout weary, and everyone is hoping for long term solutions. Even those across the country who do not personally experience power outages as a result of wildfires or other extreme weather events, have witnessed in the news the devastation on the west coast, as well as in Australia where the impact on land, humans, and wildlife is extraordinarily horrific. It is becoming increasingly apparent that we need to take some proactive measures in terms of how we produce electricity.
Grid instability is a main focus due to a number of factors, including an aging power infrastructure that exposes vulnerabilities, the increasing frequency and strength of extreme weather, electric vehicle (EV) adoption, and even the increase
in photovoltaic (PV or solar) energy installations. Yes, even
renewable energy – because of its inherent intermittency and growing penetration – adds stress to the grid. In the case of solar, nightfall makes it hard for the grid to ramp up energy production to meet evening consumption. In terms of grid instability for the rest of the country, California is like the canary in the coal mine.
While California does not depend on the nation’s oldest power infrastructure –
that designation is held by states on the East Coast – the Golden State still relies on a transmission network that wasn’t built for today’s technology or environmental and safety concerns. California’s power lines stretch across thousands of miles, between trees and over dry grass, brush, and forests. Nationally, 70 percent of transmission lines and power transformers are more than 25 years old, with some parts of the network built more than 100 years ago (including power plants built right after World War II, when the power sector was rapidly expanding).
This aged infrastructure is also vulnerable to cyberattacks, like the one that hit California, Wyoming, and Utah in March. That wide-spread denial-of-service (DoS) cyberattack - the first of its kind - was possible because the long distances between power
plants in those states made it easier to impact millions of people and businesses.
Grid stability is also at risk from extreme weather patterns. It is well documented that climate change has contributed to
an increase in frequency and strength of severe weather. Low precipitation and heat waves that cause long periods of dryness in California, for example, make transmitting electricity over dry land a dangerous fire hazard. Other regions of the country often get hit with hurricanes, tornadoes, and tropical storms, all of which impact the stability of the network.
As for EV and PV adoption, the Solar Energy Industries Association and the Auto Alliance report that California is
the leader in both areas – an extremely positive position, yet one that places a considerable strain on the existing power