Powering Resilience for California’s Water Utilities

The Santa Margarita Water District (SWMD) provides drinking water, recycled water, and wastewater services to over 200,000 residents across 111 square miles in Orange County, California. Due to the risk of wildfires – as well as Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) called by the electric utility to avoid wildfires – SMWD wanted to enhance its energy resilience. Scale has designed a microgrid for SMWD that adds battery storage to existing solar and backup generators, leveraging advanced controls to holistically optimize operations across the entire system. The project, which received special funding for wildfire-prone areas under California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program, will enable SMWD to provide more reliable service for its customers with lower costs and emissions.Read our case study on this project to learn more about SMWD’s microgrid and the benefits of microgrids for California’s water utilities more broadly.