Stone Edge Farm

Using a microgrid to stay powered during wildfire disruption 

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Climate-related energy risk: Wildfire-related grid outages, power shutoffs, and disruption to farm operations 
Solution pathway: Renewable microgrid with solar, batteries, hydrogen storage, fuel cells, and remote controls 

Business type: SME / estate vineyard and winery 
Sector: Wine and agriculture 
Geography: Sonoma, California, United States

In Practice

Wineries and farms depend on reliable energy for irrigation, refrigeration, processing, pumps, lighting, monitoring systems, and site safety. In wildfire-prone regions like Northern California, climate-related energy risks are increasing as fires damage infrastructure and utilities use power shutoffs to reduce ignition risk. 

Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards and Winery responded by developing a state-of-the-art microgrid that integrates multiple energy sources and storage systems, including solar, a microturbine, hydrogen fuel cells, batteries, hydrogen storage, real-time monitoring and control. The system was designed to “island” from the wider grid, meaning it can disconnect and operate independently when the utility grid fails. 

The microgrid was tested during the October 2017 Northern California wildfires. While fires disrupted power across the surrounding area, Stone Edge Farm was put into island mode and continued operating on its own microgrid. According to CleanTechnica, the microgrid ran islanded for seven days while staff were evacuated, with the system monitored remotely. During this period, the farm continued using well pumps and pressure pumps to irrigate the property and reduce fire risk, even though wildfire smoke cut solar output by around half. The Climate Center also reported that the farm’s power stayed on during a wildfire outage while the surrounding area was in darkness. 

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Caption Text
The case shows how a smaller business can treat energy resilience as a practical climate adaptation strategy. Stone Edge Farm did not simply install backup generation; it built a flexible, decentralised system that can operate in different modes, support critical functions during emergencies, and reduce dependence on an increasingly climate-exposed grid. 

Why this example was selected

This case study was curated because it is a specific SME example of energy resilience in a climate-exposed sector. It has also received strong external recognition: Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards and Winery won California’s Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, the state’s highest environmental honour, for its MicroGrid Project. California EPA described the project as using advanced technology to generate, store and distribute clean energy to the property and beyond. 

Key Lesson

Businesses in climate-exposed regions can improve energy resilience by investing in decentralised energy systems that can keep critical operations running when the wider grid fails. 

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