In the news release, SoCalGas Now Powering Two Los Angeles
Facilities with Bloom Energy AlwaysON Microgrids, issued
July 17, 2020 by Southern California
Gas Company over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that
the quote in the third paragraph has been updated. The complete,
corrected release follows:
SoCalGas Now Powering Two Los Angeles Facilities with Bloom Energy
AlwaysON Microgrids Fuel cell power will reduce GHG emissions, air
pollution and electric costs, and increase reliability
LOS ANGELES and SAN JOSE, Calif., July
17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co.
(SoCalGas) today announced it has begun powering two of its largest
Los Angeles-area facilities with
Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) solid oxide fuel cells. The switch to
fuel cells will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air
pollutants and the cost of power, as well as provide reliable
electricity independent of the power grid. Photos of the fuel cells
at one of the SoCalGas facilities are located here.
To produce electricity, Bloom Energy's fuel cells could use
natural gas, renewable natural gas, or hydrogen. The fuel cells at
SoCalGas intake natural gas and oxygen, and through an
electrochemical reaction, produce electricity without any
combustion. Bloom Energy Servers can operate at 60% efficiency and
are considered one of the most efficient power solutions currently
available. More information on how fuel cells work may be found
here.
"Using Bloom Energy's fuel cells for our facilities is yet
another way that SoCalGas is demonstrating our commitment to be an
industry leader supporting a 21st century energy system," said
Maryam Brown, president of SoCalGas.
"These onsite generation systems will provide clean, affordable and
resilient energy to key facilities so that we can ensure safe and
reliable service to our 22 million customers."
"The SoCalGas pipeline system is integral to many Bloom Energy
Servers installed in central and southern California, so we were eager to team up again
to bring fuel cells to SoCalGas' own facilities," said Kris Kim, managing director of strategic
development at Bloom Energy. "Fuel cells at utility-owned sites are
a natural fit as we are both looking to the future of energy and
prioritize qualities like fuel flexibility, emissions reductions,
efficiency, and reliability."
"I am delighted to see SoCalGas has chosen Pico Rivera to showcase this exciting new
technology," said Sen. Bob Archuleta
(D-Pico Rivera). "It is no longer
up for debate; hydrogen will be a part of California's clean energy future. I have
fought for investments in both hydrogen infrastructure and clean
transportation programs in the California Legislature and I will
continue to do so. I am proud of SoCalGas for taking the initiative
and bringing these investments to the 32nd Senate District and I
look forward to continuing to work with them as we pursue our clean
energy goals."
In addition to providing cost savings and improving reliability
of power, the fuel cells will lead to a reduction in carbon
emissions by 683 metric tons per year compared to the current grid
profile – which is like eliminating annual GHG emissions produced
by the electricity use of 112 homes. Because no fuel is burned to
produce the electricity, smog-forming pollutants and particulate
matter are reduced by more than 99%. And, because they virtually
eliminate all combustion-related pollutants, the California Air
Resources Board has certified the Bloom Energy Servers as a
Distributed Generation Technology that do not require a generation
permit, a designation given only to the cleanest technologies in
the state.
Adoption of distributed power generation solutions, also called
distributed energy resources, is a growing trend in the U.S.
These solutions can combine environmental benefits and the ability
to provide uninterrupted power in the event of natural disasters or
outages. While SoCalGas uses solar generation at 6 of its 113
facilities, the company selected the fuel cell solution for its
Monterey Park and Pico Rivera facilities for their superior
resiliency.
The Bloom Energy Servers at each of SoCalGas' facilities total
950 kilowatts in size, replacing over 90% of the baseload power
that would otherwise come from the grid. The Servers are
configured as AlwaysON Microgrids. Microgrids are a
distributed power supply that are always-on – operating alongside
the main grid and independently during an outage. Bloom Energy has
deployed its Servers at 600 sites globally, and more than 85 of
those are microgrids, which have powered through over 1,500
outages.
The environmental benefits of switching to fuel cells at these
facilities are part of SoCalGas' vision to be the cleanest gas
utility in North America, and
support a 21st century energy system that provides clean,
affordable, resilient and integrated energy. As part of its
vision, the utility last year committed to replacing five percent
of natural gas supplies to its core customers with renewable
natural gas (RNG) by 2022 and 20% by 2030.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los
Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution
utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers
affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service
to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of
Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of
residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying
clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's
pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to
Californians— about 45 percent of electric power
generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas's vision is to be the cleanest gas utility
in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly
renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision,
SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional
natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by
2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by
dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is
also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure
while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through
2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade
and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and
reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra
Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based
in San Diego. For more information
visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas
on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas)
and Facebook.
About Bloom Energy
Bloom Energy's mission is to make
clean, reliable energy affordable for everyone in the world. The
Company's product, the Bloom Energy Server, delivers highly
reliable and resilient, always-on electric power that is clean,
cost-effective, and ideal for microgrid applications. Bloom's
customers include many Fortune 100 companies and leaders in
manufacturing, data centers, healthcare, retail, higher education,
utilities, and other industries. For more information, visit
www.bloomenergy.com.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company