Project is one of four microgrids providing backup power and helping firefighting in rural areas.
It figures to be another dry year — with the potential to spark wildfires in the region. Butto a microgrid in Ramona that will help firefighters and reduce the effects of power shutoffs to backcountry residents.
The air attack base serves as a hub for fixed-wing aircraft assigned to put out fires. Cal Fire staffs the base throughout the year with one two airtankers and one tactical aircraft. The base also houses the Forest Service’sand crew to protect the Cleveland National Forest. Aircraft for both CalFire and the Forest Service can also be mobilized to help fight fires throughout the state.
That can be crucial in wildfire-prone areas affected by Public Safety Power Shutoffs, or PSPS, the practice in which investor-owned utilities in California de-energize electrical power lines in a defined area when conditions are dry and windy in order to reduce the risk of a power line falling and igniting a wildfire.
Cameron Corners in Campo, which is expected to complete its own transition from relying on diesel generation to using zero-emissions solar and energy storage by this summerShelter Valley, off Route 78 near Julian.