By Alise Maripuu
Bay City News
SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Plans for a community microgrid in Pescadero to help combat power outages have moved forward after the project secured the final phase of funding this month.
WestLight Energy, an energy provider working on the project for residents of San Mateo County, announced this week that the final funding piece will come from PG&E's Microgrid Incentive Program, which provides grants to install microgrids in disadvantaged communities and areas that are more vulnerable to power outages.
Microgrids are isolated sources of energy that independently provide electricity even when the main power grid fails. While most microgrids are made to serve critical facilities like hospitals with power, the Pescadero community microgrid will be one of the first in the state to serve nearly an entire town.
Pescadero is a small, unincorporated town located along the coast about 17 miles south of Half Moon Bay with a population of around 700. The rural and isolated farming community is particularly prone to power outages. Between 2021 and 2022, the town endured 25 power outages that lasted more than a day, according to San Mateo County.
"When a community faces a challenge that doesn't have an obvious solution, local public agencies like WestLight Energy have an opportunity to bring partners together," said WestLight Energy CEO Shawn Marshall in a statement. "That's exactly what happened here."
Irma Rodriguez Mitton of Arriba South Coast, an organization that aims to empower rural communities in San Mateo County's southern coastal region, will serve as the community liaison for the project. She described the impacts of prolonged power outages in the isolated town.
"Frequent outages affect every part of daily life for families, businesses, and community services," Mitton said in a statement. "Things like disrupting school learning days and store operations, spoiled food, and closure of community health and social services offices place a huge burden on our residents."
The planned microgrid will be designed to provide up to three to seven days of backup power for nearly all of Pescadero. It will stay connected to the main electric grid, but during outages it will separate and use local solar and stored battery power, according to WestLight Energy.
WestLight Energy anticipates planning and design to begin late this year, with construction expected to begin in mid-2029. The company is aiming for the microgrid to start service in 2031.
The project is a collaboration between WestLight Energy, Arriba South Coast, the county's Sustainability Department and Office of Emergency Services, and the Clean Coalition, which is an organization that provides design and technical expertise for community microgrids.
Funding from PG&E's Microgrid Incentive Program will contribute $3.5 million, and PG&E will also provide up to $4 million to fund interconnection and microgrid studies as well as upgrades to PG&E's own grid that will connect to the microgrid.
San Mateo County has committed $3 million to the project, while WestLight Energy said it is allocating $10 million.
"We knew we could solve the problem, but we needed really strong, community-minded technical partners to help us," Mitton said. "We are extremely grateful that WestLight Energy, the County of San Mateo Sustainability Department, and other partners believed in our vision and came together with us to make this project a reality."
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