May Climate Circle: Flipping the Grid–How Neighborhood Power Can Keep the Lights On

Join us for the May 5 Climate Circle. This month’s topic focuses on flipping the grid with community-powered Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) to keep the lights on when neighborhood power goes down.

When the Power Goes Out

Has your power gone out during a heatwave or wildfire warning—spoiling food, shutting off fans, or disconnecting critical medical equipment? A local, community-based Distributed Energy Resources network can pick up the slack when the Big Grid fails.

As the climate crisis accelerates, so do the threats to our electricity system. With more heatwaves, droughts, and storms, utilities like PG&E are shutting off power more often to prevent wildfires. At the same time, more people are switching to electric vehicles, stoves, and heaters—putting even more pressure on the grid. And it’s not just homes and cars—massive new data centers across the country consume enormous amounts of electricity to power cloud computing, AI, and the internet we all rely on. That demand is straining the grid even further.

Can We Build Power in Our Own Neighborhoods?

It’s not a quick fix, but the answer is yes. While it takes effort, collaboration, and some investment, local communities are already starting to make it happen. By tapping into clean energy solutions like rooftop solar, small wind installations, home batteries, electric vehicles, and smart appliances—together, these are known as Distributed Energy Resources (DERs)—we can create local power networks that make our neighborhoods more resilient—even when the grid goes down. The City of Richmond already uses such a network to provide more resilient and flexible power to its residents.

Join us on May 5 for a lively discussion on how communities are flipping the grid with DERs, and what we can do in our own neighborhoods. Whether you’re just getting familiar with energy issues or you’ve studied them in depth, there’s plenty to share and learn from each other.

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Come curious. Leave inspired. Everyone is welcome.

The Contra Costa Climate Circle is a Zoom meeting for the climate concerned. Come connect with like minded folks and discuss current events in a safe and friendly space, each month, the first Monday, from 12-1 pm. All are welcome. We look forward to meeting you!

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