THE MAD RIVER STORY: Saving the World One Solar Panel at a Time
With coastal cities, fault-lines and an increasing occurrence of heatwaves, the state of California has had, and continues to have perilous troubles with natural disasters.
It is a nearly foregone conclusion that when hit with a natural disaster, the energy grid will be affected. How are, and how can, the state better prepare for getting knocked about by events that disrupt their vital energy supplies? A small Native American tribe, living on the Mad River in the coastal county of Humboldt, are leading the way with answers.
On a 100-acre (40.4 hectare) reservation, the Blue Lake Rancheria tribe and Humboldt State University’s Schatz Energy Research Center have partnered with Siemens to build a low-carbon community microgrid – a complex of solar panels, storage batteries and distribution lines. The grid operates as part of their wider utility network and can also run independent of it.
If this is a possible look at California’s future, does it also indicate where the world at large should be heading?
In early October 2019, the government shut off power for 24 hours to over 2 million people in Northern California. This included homes and businesses in Humboldt County. This cut to power was a wildfire risk-reduction strategy.
As a response, the Blue Lake tribe were able to:
– Transform a hotel into a media room
– Use hotel guest rooms as make-shift hospital rooms
– Keep their petrol station open
– Keep a local grocery mart open
As a result, the tribe served and cared for over 10,000 people during the outage.
While microgrids are not a “fix-all” they definitely highlight the potential to become independent of the larger power grid. It is a simple idea that has a high return on investment. Solar systems have come a long way since the 1800s!
While the governments of the world play catch-up, individual homes can take care of their personal needs and desires to become less dependent on aging, disaster susceptible infrastructures. They can essentially create their own micro-micro-grids.
This article was brought to you by enewabl, the energy experts. Talk to one of their friendly and knowledgeable team members now about how you can become more energy independent.
