PG&E upgrades transformers to natural ester

In California, Pacific Gas & Electric recently shared plans to rebuild a more reliable and safer power grid system following the wildfires of 2019 and one aspect is to replace the network’s traditional mineral oil transformers with safer and more efficient natural ester units.

PG&E started this conversion before the fires and rolling blackouts, but it now plans to bring as many as 750,000 bio-based transformers online to mitigate risk, extend the life of the units and be more environmentally sensitive.