PSPS — Public Safety Power Shutoff

Also known as: Public Safety Power ShutoffPG&E PSPSplanned outagefire weather shutoffPreemptive shutoff

PSPS is California's program authorizing utilities (primarily PG&E in our area) to proactively cut power during high-fire-risk weather. Started in 2018 under CPUC authorization (Resolution ESRB-8). Triggers include sustained winds >25 mph, gusts >45 mph, humidity below 20%, dry fuels, and CAL FIRE Red Flag Warnings — typically in combination.

PSPS events mostly hit customers in and near the CPUC's High Fire-Threat District (HFTD) Tier 2 and Tier 3 zones — but PG&E notes that any customer can lose power if the line that serves them passes through a high fire-threat area. In Santa Cruz County, that covers much of the mountains — Felton, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, the upper Westside, Bonny Doon, Corralitos, Day Valley, parts of Aptos hills. Coastal flats and Watsonville are generally outside HFTD, which lowers the odds of a shutoff but doesn't rule one out.

Historical pattern: - 2019-2021: peak years, with multi-day shutoffs affecting 20,000+ Santa Cruz County customers per event - 2022-2024: declining frequency as PG&E completed system hardening, undergrounding, and remote-sectionalizing - Still real, still recurring, still multi-day when conditions trigger them

Battery backup makes the most sense for PSPS if you already have or want solar. Standby generator makes more sense if you don't want solar or want indefinite runtime without sun. We do both; we don't push one over the other — depends on your situation.