Clean Power
Renewable Energy
Clean Power generates electricity from sources that do not emit carbon dioxide, methane or other greenhouse gases. Renewable energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, and hydropower. WeAct supports the efforts of Sonoma Clean Power and PG&E to provide 100% renewable energy to their customers in Windsor.
Resilient Power
Microgrids
A microgrid is a power generation and distribution system that can be isolated from the power grid or, in remote areas, is not connected to the grid. Facility or campus microgrids support one or more buildings on a site. Community microgrids connect multiple sites in a geographic area. The ability to operate independently from the macrogrid provides resilience during natural disasters and PSPS events. A clean microgrid generates resilient power from renewable sources.
WeAct is committed to addressing the climate emergency locally by advocating for clean and resilient power in Windsor.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: CLEAN & RESILIENT
CLEAN POWER
OUR COMMITMENT
WeAct is committed to an overarching goal of 100% use of renewable “clean power” for the town of Windsor. Human activity is overloading our atmosphere with these gases, resulting in atmospheric warming which produces devastating impacts such as extreme storms, wildfires, drought, sea level rise, and species extinction.
EDUCATION & ALLIANCE
It is necessary to educate our local population as to the need for safe, reliable, and environmentally sound energy alternatives through neighborhood emergency preparedness projects. It is our goal to affiliate with other like-minded organizations including the Climate Center, Transition US (WeAct is a certified member), and Daily Acts.
TAKING
ACTION
WeAct wil support Windsor in its implementation of the Climate Emergency Resolution adopted in 2019 through active support of initiatives such as Electric Reach Codes. We will further work towards developing a Clean Power Distribution System that allows critical (and eventually residential) operations to continue off-grid during times of emergency or crisis such as microgrids and battery storage systems.
CLEAN POWER
OUR COMMITMENT
WeAct is committed to an overarching goal of 100% use of renewable “clean power” for the town of Windsor. Human activity is overloading our atmosphere with these gases, resulting in atmospheric warming which produces devastating impacts such as extreme storms, wildfires, drought, sea level rise, and species extinction.
EDUCATION & ALLIANCE
It is necessary to educate our local population as to the need for safe, reliable, and environmentally sound energy alternatives through neighborhood emergency preparedness projects. It is our goal to affiliate with other like-minded organizations including the Climate Center, Transition US (WeAct is a certified member), and Daily Acts.
TAKING
ACTION
WeAct wil support Windsor in its implementation of the Climate Emergency Resolution adopted in 2019 through active support of initiatives such as Electric Reach Codes. We will further work towards developing a Clean Power Distribution System that allows critical (and eventually residential) operations to continue off-grid during times of emergency or crisis such as microgrids and battery storage systems.
CLEAN POWER
OUR COMMITMENT
Having been threatened by wildfires multiple times in recent years, Windsor is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. WeAct is committed to an overarching goal of 100% renewable, clean electricity in Windsor and significant reduction of fossil fuels in our homes, businesses and vehicles.
EDUCATION & ALLIANCE
It is necessary to educate our local population as to the need for safe, reliable, and environmentally sound energy alternatives through neighborhood emergency preparedness projects. It is our goal to affiliate with other like-minded organizations including the Climate Center, Transition US (WeAct is a certified member), and Daily Acts.
TAKING
ACTION
WeAct continues to support Windsor in its implementation of the Climate Emergency Resolution adopted in 2019 through active support of initiatives such as Electric REACH Codes. WeAct developed a microgrid whitepaper (link below) to promote the development of resilient energy in Windsor.
CLEAN POWER
OUR COMMITMENT
WeAct is committed to an overarching goal of 100% use of renewable “clean power” for the town of Windsor. Human activity is overloading our atmosphere with these gases, resulting in atmospheric warming which produces devastating impacts such as extreme storms, wildfires, drought, sea level rise, and species extinction.
EDUCATION & ALLIANCE
It is necessary to educate our local population as to the need for safe, reliable, and environmentally sound energy alternatives through neighborhood emergency preparedness projects. It is our goal to affiliate with other like-minded organizations including the Climate Center, Transition US (WeAct is a certified member), and Daily Acts.
TAKING
ACTION
WeAct wil support Windsor in its implementation of the Climate Emergency Resolution adopted in 2019 through active support of initiatives such as Electric Reach Codes. We will further work towards developing a Clean Power Distribution System that allows critical (and eventually residential) operations to continue off-grid during times of emergency or crisis such as microgrids and battery storage systems.
RESILIENT POWER
DEFINING MICROGRIDS
A microgrid consists of energy generation and energy storage that can function as its own “island” in the event of a disaster and power a building, campus, or community when disconnected from the overarching, centrally-controlled electric grid.
There are two primary components of a microgrid: energy generation and energy storage.
Energy generation for a microgrid usually comes from onsite sources, but could come from offsite sources with direct distribution lines to the facility. Energy could be generated by dirty sources, like diesel or natural gas generators, or from clean sources, like solar, wind, or geothermal energy.
Typically, facilities use lithium-ion battery energy storage systems.
MICROGRID IN ACTION
A microgrid can be set up to automatically and instantaneously take over when there is a power shut off. For example, in a single-home microgrid, consisting of solar panels and a battery backup system, the energy generated by the solar panels feeds into the energy utilities grid and the customer gets credit.
If the power goes off, the home automatically switches to its own microgrid as its source of power. If the capacity of the system is large enough, the house can function normally.
If the system can’t provide sufficient power for all its needs, then it can selectively run critical circuits within the house, such as the refrigerator, some lighting and power for electronic and medical devices.
LOOKING FORWARD
With public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) and wildfires in our recent memories, WeAct has become more interested in how we can survive emergencies at the local level without dependence on a large utility. We could determine for ourselves our energy future.
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To this end, WeAct produced a whitepaper in 2020 on the feasibility of developing microgrids in Windsor. Our recommendations suggest starting with facility microgrids for critical infrastructure and emergency shelters, and over time developing community microgrids that will provide power to the downtown area and, eventually, to our neighborhoods. We presented the whitepaper to the Town of Windsor and to Windsor Unified School District.
Only through collective action can we redefine and reconstruct a sustainable and just approach to survival and prosperity. Reachout to the WeAct members involved in this topic:
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Terry Taylor
John Stayton
Rick Massel, rickm@sonic.net