Solar-powered microgrids may give two patches of West Marin relief during future blackouts. Dillon Beach and Tomales are among nine rural communities selected for grants from PG&E to build the grids, which could provide enough clean energy to power key infrastructure and emergency shelters for at least 24 hours—and perhaps up to a week or two, depending on the sun. PG&E selected the projects from among 50 applications; others proposed for Point Reyes Station and Marshall, and a second in Tomales, did not win funding but have a chance to refine their applications and reapply during a second round of grants that opened last week. The first-round proposals will receive between $1 million and $6 million to finance their efforts. In Dillon Beach, solar panels and powerful batteries that store power could be installed on property owned by North Marin Water District. In Tomales, the project could be located on land owned by the county or Shoreline Unified School District. Pending county and coastal commission approvals, the projects could be up and running within three years, though new tariffs could complicate efforts. Energy produced by the microgrids will travel through PG&E lines but can be directed to specific infrastructure or sections of town. The Dillon Beach project is intended to keep the village’s water and sewage treatment systems functioning, while the Tomales microgrid would power the fire department and emergency shelters as well as some residences. If a microgrid is eventually approved in Point Reyes Station, it might supply the fire station, the sheriff’s substation, the Dance Palace and perhaps KWMR, keeping the station’s emergency broadcasts on the air. “One of the reasons that West Marin qualified for these grant funds is that it’s considered medically disadvantaged,” said Tom Flynn, an engineer who lives in Marshall. “A lot of people here live a long distance from medical services. It’s really important that vulnerable people, particularly people who are not well-off and living alone, have power available.” Energy resilience is crucial in areas at risk of earthquakes and wildfires, said David Rempel, a Point Reyes Station resident and chairman of West Marin Climate Action’s renewable energy subcommittee. “We face greater and greater fire risk, and we need to make sure that during a major disaster our emergency services remain active and functional,” he said. The PG&E microgrid incentive program funds the development of clean energy microgrids to support mostly rural communities vulnerable to outages. About 3,600 of the 9,000 customers served by the nine projects are people with disabilities, older adults, children, people with limited English proficiency, and people who have difficulty accessing transportation. The Dillon Beach application was submitted by the Oceana Marin Association and the Tomales application by Clean Coalition, a Menlo Park nonprofit that partnered with CLAM, West Marin Climate Action and an array of community groups.
This article was corrected on April 22. Tom Flynn was mistakenly referred to as retired; he is not.