Utilities are finding solar-plus-storage microgrids are cheaper and safer than stringing new wires in some remote areas. (Canary Media)
PG&E has built about a dozen “remote grids,” with plans for 30+ by next year, replacing costly, fire-prone distribution lines in high-risk terrain.
How the model works: Regulators allow PG&E to earn a return on these systems so long as costs are lower than hardening or undergrounding lines—which can run tens of millions per mile.
Other utilities are testing similar approaches: NV Energy says a solar-storage system will save $21M versus undergrounding, and SDG&E and Duke have also built community microgrids where single-line service proved too fragile.