Finding an Optimized and Viable Solution for Improving Reliability Scores of the Current Power Grid in California

Public project summary

California’s power grid is reaching the end of its life. In 2019 alone, there were 25,281 blackout events in California, a 23% increase from the 20,598 blackouts in 2018 (BloomEnergy, 2019). Based upon prior research, a household-level photovoltaic system that can power a single residential unit as needed and supply the grid for local redistribution when needed is the most economical and efficient solution for the increasing number of blackouts, brownouts, and Public Safety Power Shutoffs. This study aims to find the optimal percentage of saturation of such resources, since it is neither economical nor plausible for every household to have such a system. Narrowing down and analyzing the results, the research hopes to find what the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) PV generation resource distribution goal should be in the coming years.