The resilient energy will serve a critical role for the community traumatized by the 2018 Camp Fire.
Adventist Health and ENGIE North America announced the completion of their solar and microgrid project in Paradise, California. The Feather River Health Care facility includes a 1-MWh energy storage system combined with 425 kW of solar and a new, permanent back-up generator. The integrated system is designed to deliver clean energy while ensuring energy resiliency to continue to serve the community during public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events. Adventist Health’s hospital was heavily damaged by one of the most destructive fires in California history, the 2018 Camp Fire, and the Feather River Health Center is now the main location for healthcare services available on the ridge.
“After our Feather River hospital was severely damaged, we wanted to provide better reliability to the community with new solutions that would allow us to be fully operational during any future power outages,” said Tim Williams, administrative director for Physician & Outpatient Services, Adventist Health. “Building long-term resiliency is key in this region impacted by risk of natural disasters and subsequent PSPS events. As energy reliability and resiliency planning becomes paramount across the United States, we are gratified by the outcome of this project, but more importantly proud of the immediate impact it will provide the ridge community.”
In case of a power outage, the microgrid controller energy storage system will isolate the facility from the grid, allowing the facility to be powered by solar, the energy storage system and generator, thereby creating a microgrid. The microgrid will use its own internal battery storage to stabilize the facility loads and it will also control the generation from both the solar system and the 250-kW permanent generator, allowing Adventist Health to maintain a stable energy source to the facility during the outage. The transfer of power from the utility to the microgrid happens in less than one second, creating a seamless transfer.
“The transition from traditional back-up power solutions to cleaner, healthier and more intelligent energy systems has recently become much easier and more attainable for facilities of all sizes — especially critical in the healthcare field,” said Courtney Jenkins, VP and general manager at ENGIE. “ENGIE is proud to provide a reliable framework for how to meet the energy resiliency needs of hospitals and medical facilities, that by definition need to be the most resilient and safe assets in their communities. Helping to demonstrate the power of solar microgrids at the Feather River Health Center has been a meaningful opportunity to support Adventist Health’s impact to the ridge community.
