Surging EVs and An Ongoing Fire Threat - San Diego Utility Responds

The wildfire season is in full swing and that has utility
officials in the drought stricken Southwest preparing for an
active summer. In this episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg
talks with Caroline Winn who is the CEO of San Diego Power &
Gas (SDP&G). They’ll discuss how the utility has prepared for
a fire season that lasts all year long, including how it uses
technology to limit the impact of forced outages.


“So having a more surgical approach has helped us ensure again
that only the most endangered communities are turned off,” said
Winn.


They’ll also talk about renewables and promising new hydrogen
storage technology.


“The holy grail is really long-duration energy storage that can
really provide backup power during extended power outages and
help to synchronize the supply and demand across the seasons.”


Finally, the discussion turns to meeting the demand as more EV’s
hit the road.


“The challenge ahead of us is how do we manage the
electrification of everything; the cars, the buildings and other
facets of our economy.”


Caroline Winn has been with SDG&E since 1986 and became CEO
in August 2020. Previously, she served as the chief operating
officer of SDG&E, overseeing operations of the utility’s gas
and electric infrastructure assets, and customer services. Winn
also served as chief energy delivery officer, managing all energy
delivery activities for SDG&E, including electric
distribution operations and gas services, customer services, and
external and state legislative affairs.


Ms. Winn has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from
California State University Sacramento and is a registered
professional engineer in the State of California.