New research shows that solar-powered ‘resilience hubs’ in California could generate up to 8GW of power

Energy outages are on the rise nationwide as local weather change brings extra frequent wildfires, warmth waves, and extreme climate occasions. The Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) and the state of California have each not too long ago established funding to assist communities create “resilience hubs” that depend on photo voltaic+battery techniques to supply emergency energy for residents.

A brand new research within the journal Threat Evaluation finds that strategically inserting resilience hubs all through California may generate as much as 8 GW of photo voltaic power and decrease the state’s carbon emissions by 5 million tons per yr.

Situated in neighborhood services like colleges, neighborhood facilities, libraries, and locations of worship, resilience hubs present energy to residents for crucial companies comparable to cellphone charging, cool air, and powering medical units. As a result of resilience hubs are everlasting (in comparison with emergency relocation facilities), they will present year-round companies to deal with the vulnerability of at-risk and deprived populations.

“Demand for resilience hubs remains high,” says senior scientist Patrick Murphy, noting that California’s Strategic Development Council awarded 11 grants for resilience hubs in February 2024, “but more than 100 communities requested funding.”

Of their evaluation, Murphy and his colleagues with the group PSE Wholesome Vitality (PSE) recognized practically 20,000 potential websites for photo voltaic+battery powered resilience hubs. They decided the optimum system design for on a regular basis operation of those websites, and calculated the extra energy and tools wanted throughout totally different outage situations.

Their evaluation built-in sociodemographic knowledge to assist officers focus potential coverage and funding priorities on areas the place photo voltaic+battery for resilience hubs is tough or costly, and the place populations are most in want.

Amongst different findings, the research reviews that:

• Coastal northern California faces tough resilience challenges within the wet and snowy winter season and the Imperial Valley in southern California is challenged when summer time warmth outpaces rooftop photo voltaic enter.
• Areas and seasons with better power wants than their potential photo voltaic harvesting will probably be difficult, requiring both extra websites or extra roof house to supply resilient power for hubs.
• If grid energy is offered and significant companies like clear, cool air for an emergency shelter are wanted, the capability of the candidate resilience hubs is estimated to be 15.8 million folks (about 40% of Californians). Whereas this means that loads of capability exists, whether or not it’s accessible to essentially the most weak populations bears additional research.
• Photo voltaic+battery energy for on a regular basis operations is usually financeable and should not require further funding, particularly the place sunshine and utility charges are favorable.
• Utility charges impression the flexibility of a neighborhood to undertake photo voltaic+battery energy techniques. In locations the place daylight is plentiful and utility charges are excessive, changing to photo voltaic+battery energy greater than pays for itself (as excessive charges result in higher financial savings from renewable power). Areas with decrease utility prices, whereas presumably higher for affordability day after day, make photo voltaic more durable to justify economically.
• The entire value of implementing photo voltaic+battery power for on a regular basis use greater than pays for itself with saved utility bills. Nonetheless, extra upfront capital is required to fulfill resilience wants (principally for elevated battery power storage).

“Hubs provide services year-round, not just during disasters,” says Murphy. “So they can also help build a community’s adaptive capacity—before a disaster hits.”

Supplied by
Society for Threat Evaluation