Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced today the
deployment of a “linear generator”—a new mobile power generation
technology utilizing natural gas and directed renewable biogas to
displace existing diesel generation—at its Angwin distribution
microgrid site in Napa County.
Working with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC and
Mainspring Energy, PG&E deployed the Mainspring linear
generator as part of its commitment to integrate cleaner generation
solutions for replacement power during emergencies like winter
storms or earthquakes, and Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)
events.
Currently, PG&E strategically deploys mobile, diesel
generators across its service area during emergencies and PSPS
outages to rapidly re-energize thousands of customers. These
generators are connected to the grid at substations, distribution
microgrid sites, community resource centers, and critical
facilities as needed and available.
The goal of the pilot is to demonstrate the performance of new,
cleaner electricity generation technology at a PG&E
distribution microgrid. The linear generator will be paired with
the onsite diesel generator to ensure reliable service for the
community of Angwin, and PG&E will study whether the hybrid
solution can reduce diesel use and emissions during emergencies or
PSPS events this year.
The pilot deployment follows a rigorous testing program by
PG&E and Mainspring at the Mainspring facility in Menlo Park
this spring, and months of collaboration between PG&E and
Mainspring engineers.
“We know how important clean, reliable energy is to our
customers and communities. We are excited to explore new
technologies like the linear generator to help keep customers
powered during larger outages while also reducing the use of diesel
backup generation. This is a low-emissions, resilient, and
affordable alternative that holds a lot of promise for our future,”
said Jason Glickman, Executive Vice President, Engineering,
Planning & Strategy, PG&E.
A Creative Renewable Approach
NextEra Energy Resources subsidiaries provide PG&E with a
diverse portfolio of nearly 1,000 megawatts of wind, solar and now
linear generation. Under this agreement, NextEra Energy Resources
provided the financing for the deployment of the linear generator,
as part of its recently announced $150 million purchase and
financing agreement with Mainspring.
For the Angwin deployment, the linear generator is connected to
both PG&E’s electric distribution system and its natural gas
distribution system. NextEra Energy Resources is purchasing biogas
fuel that is renewably produced at another location. The procured
biogas is processed and injected into the existing gas distribution
infrastructure, offsetting the linear generator’s usage of natural
gas.
“NextEra Energy Resources sees strong potential for new
technologies like the Mainspring linear generator to provide
reliable, low-cost, and clean energy in California and elsewhere,”
said Matt Ulman, vice president of distributed generation for
NextEra Energy Resources. “It’s important to get pilot projects
into the field for real-world testing, and we are pleased to enable
innovative projects that offer resiliency to keep the lights on at
businesses and homes.”
Mainspring’s Linear Generator
Mainspring's breakthrough technology, based on research
originally conducted by the company's co-founders at Stanford
University, is designed to meet grid demands by delivering
dispatchable, fuel-flexible power that substantially reduces cost
and carbon today, while accelerating the transition to the net-zero
carbon grid.
One of the unique characteristics of the 240-kilowatt Mainspring
linear generator is that it can ramp up and down quickly to meet
power load demands at a fraction of the emissions of reciprocating
engine technologies.
“Extreme weather events and the rise of electrification are
driving increasing demands on the electric grid for resiliency at
affordable costs. At the same time, we need to be moving rapidly
toward a net-zero-carbon grid,” said Mainspring CEO Shannon Miller.
“Mainspring designed our platform to meet this challenge, and we’re
proud that our product is now deployed to help PG&E and its
customers to address these challenges and provide them with a
cleaner, resilient, and affordable source of power.”
A linear generator—distinct from an engine, microturbine, or
fuel cell—is a device that directly converts motion along a
straight line into electricity using chemical or thermal energy.
The design of Mainspring’s linear generator uses a low-temperature
reaction of air and fuel to drive magnets through copper coils to
efficiently produce electricity. This innovative design, combined
with the company’s proprietary adaptive control software, enables
high efficiency, near-zero NOx emissions, full dispatchability, and
seamless switching between fuels.
The product achieves low capital and maintenance costs through
use of standard materials, only two moving parts, and an innovative
air bearing system that eliminates the need for oil. It operates
without the use of complex mechanical systems or expensive
catalysts.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
About NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a clean energy leader and is
one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the
U.S., with approximately 23,900 megawatts of total net generating
capacity, primarily in 38 states and Canada as of year-end 2020.
NextEra Energy Resources, together with its affiliated entities, is
the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and
sun based on 2020 megawatt hours produced on a net generation
basis, and a world leader in battery storage. The business operates
clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New
Hampshire and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra Energy nuclear
fleet. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach,
Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more
information, visit www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
About Mainspring Energy
Driven by its vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero
carbon grid of the future, Mainspring is delivering a new category
of power generation — the linear generator — that delivers onsite,
dispatchable, fuel-flexible power at low cost. Based in Menlo Park,
Calif., Mainspring is backed by top-tier venture, strategic, and
financial investors. www.mainspringenergy.com.
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