With the continuing threat of wildfires in California, the state’s regulator has approved a plan to deploy distributed microgrids proposed by investor-owned utility (IOU) Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).

Arizona Public Service (APS) announced Wednesday that rather than rebuild miles of electricity transmission lines, it will install two battery storage systems totalling 8MWh in rural Punkin Center, Arizona — making it one of the first electricity companies in the US to utilise batteries instead of traditional infrastructure.