Solar or Generator Backup Considerations for Fire Season

With the intense fire season of 2020 in Northern California and the resulting damage in the Napa Valley, this blog is for those that are looking to install a backup power system to help in the event of PSPS or wildfire events. We have several other blogs about how to select a generator as well as other options for backup water, so check out those when you have a moment. This blog will have some key take aways and real life situations that will influence your decision on the best method of backup power.

Solar System and battery backup during PSPS and fire events.

During the fire season of 2020 it became quite apparent that solar power and battery backups are simply inadequate and unable to supply power in the event of a nearby fire! The smoke and ash block proper sun exposure to the solar panels and power generation diminishes to the point that the power demands for pumps cannot be met and the battery bank is quickly depleted causing power shutdown, No power is available and thus the pumps that would supply water for fighting fires, sprinkler systems and other water demands are offline and not available. Large water pumps use massive amounts of power and require enormous battery banks if you intend to run for extended periods of time without battery recharge. In some cases the smoke and ash are blocking the sun for days or even as much as a week! Many of our customers are installing generators in addition to their existing solar and battery backup systems.

Generator Backup power during fires and PSPS events.

Backup generators work very well in the event of PSPS events and forest fires, but important considerations must be made! The first is to ensure a very large/adequate fuel supply. During the fires in northern California, some areas are under threat and inaccessible for a week or longer with no power! This means your fuel supply must be sufficient to last at least a week or perhaps longer between replenishments. Propane generators are a great optoin because the fuel can be stored in large tanks without degrading over time and bulk deliveries can be made in most cases. Fuel tanks must be stored in an area protect/hardened from the effects of fire. As second important consideration is that, you MUST KEEP SPARE AIR FILTERS onsite and monitor/change them daily during fire events. Several clients we worked with had generators, plenty of fuel, but the ash and smoke plugged the air filters causing the generators to shut down when they were needed most. With the generators shut down the power was no longer available to the water/fire pumps that were being used to supply water for fire suppression. The fires overwhelmed and burned the property after the air filters plugged. In these situations it is imperative to monitor the air filter, install larger aftermarket air filtration or, perhaps only in desperate situations where the air filter cannot be changed/monitored during operation, the filter could be removed completely. This last option is the nuclear option that may keep the generator running longer but may result in damage to the generator.

Nothing beats cleaning up your brush, cleaning out your gutters, removing burnable matter from near your home and making a fire plan! Our crew at OPS regularly helps our customers get their pumping systems set up to meet the demands of fire season. If you are in the Napa county region and would like to talk withe one of our experienced project managers, give us a call today at (707) 944-2471! or contact us via our web portal!