Petaluma City Schools
With climate change increasing the frequency of wildfires and power outages in Northern California, Petaluma City Schools partnered with Scale Microgrids to deploy multiple microgrids to ensure resilient power for its facilities as well as hedge against fast-rising utility electricity rates.
In recent years, utility grid outages in Northern California due to wildfires - as well as planned outages called to prevent wildfires - have posed a growing challenge to the district's ability to provide consistent in-person education.
Petaluma City Schools partnered with Scale to design and build microgrids that will integrate an existing solar installation with enough battery storage to provide over two full days of 100% renewable backup power. The microgrids are supported by funding from California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), which will help maximize cost savings.
Big Picture Impact
7,300+
Students
900+
Staff
18
Schools
Petaluma Microgrid
The microgrid will integrate battery storage and a microgrid controller with an existing solar PV installation. Scale will utilize state-of-the-art lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which use an especially safe chemistry and are not dependent on imports of critical minerals like cobalt and nickel.
831 kW
Solar PV
4.2 MWh
Battery Storage
“We are really excited to be on the forefront of this creative and environmentally friendly method of providing backup power to our schools. With so much uncertainty and disruption over these past years, microgrid systems can provide much needed continuity for our students when there is a power disruption. This project is also aligned with one of our recently adopted District goals, which is to enhance the long-term sustainability of our organization, infrastructure, and operations.”
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