The New York Times published an article this week explaining why California did not see the large wildfires it had experienced in past years, Why California’s 2022 Wildfire Season Was Unexpectedly Quiet.

Wildfires have burned “only” about 362,000 acres in 2022, compared to 2.5 million acres last year and a historic 4.3 million acres in 2020.

The reason for the relatively quiet season was not reduced wildfire danger but a combination of rain at the right time and favorable wind conditions.

Also, while the state saw fewer acres burn this year than in the last two years, California still recorded comparable numbers of fire incidents.

California has gotten lucky. But luck runs out.

Graphic by the New York Times.

YouSolar’s mission is to be a driver towards a zero-carbon world because the only logical response to climate change is to slow and then stop the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. But the PowerBloc is not only a climate change mitigation solution; it is also an adaptation solution.

We are building the world’s most advanced solar+battery nanogrid for resilient power so that when luck runs out, the PowerBloc continues to power our customers’ homes and businesses.

For most of our customers in wildfire-prone areas, this means having electricity when the utility turns off power during high winds and dry conditions or when a wildfire brings down utility power. But for some of our new customers, the PowerBloc also defends the home from a fire.

We have proposed a PowerBloc to power a fire suppression system that will spray a home with 18,000 gallons of water stored in massive underground tanks.

The PowerBloc’s large batteries can sustain the sprinkler pumps for days even if wildfire smoke above the home blocks the sun.

On 9 September 2020, wildfire smoke turned the day into night in El Cerrito, CA. This photo was taken at 9:03 AM PT. Sunrise was at 6:45 AM PT.

Frequent and large wildfires are, sadly, the new normal. We need to fight their cause and limit their impact. The PowerBloc does both.