MAGIC - Microgrids for Advanced Grid Interaction and Control
Summary
SCH Number
2026061294
Public Agency
California Energy Commission
Document Title
MAGIC - Microgrids for Advanced Grid Interaction and Control
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/30/2026
Document Description
The project activities consist of software integration and configuration, controller interoperability and certification, communication protocol implementation (IEEE 2030.5, IEEE 1815.2), load management testing, and field demonstrations on existing photovoltaic, battery energy-storage, and microgrid control systems.
Contact Information
Name
Zoe Marshall
Agency Name
California Energy Commission
Job Title
Utilities Engineer
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Address
Phone
Name
Susana Arrechea
Agency Name
New Sun Road P.B.C.
Job Title
Project Manager
Contact Types
Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Los Angeles
Counties
Los Angeles, Marin
Regions
San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California
Zip
90022
Other Location Info
94971
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15301 ; Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15306
Reasons for Exemption
Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, sec. 15301 provides that projects which consist of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, and which involve negligible or no expansion of existing or former use beyond that at the time of the lead agency's determination, are categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The physical aspects of this work will involve software and controller integration for field demonstrations on two existing microgrids. The first existing site is the Tomales West Community Microgrid that include 297 kilowatts (kW) of solar photovoltaic and a 326 kW / 1,306 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery energy-storage system. The second existing
site is the East Los Angeles Community Microgrid, which includes 1.6 megawatts (MW) of combined solar photovoltaic resources and a 3 MW / 12 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy-storage system., The software and controller integration of this project will not constitute an alteration to, or significant change in use of, the immediate environment. This project will result in negligible or no expansion of use beyond that already existing. For these reasons, the proposed work will not have any significant effect on the environment and is exempt from CEQA under Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, sec.15301.
California Code of Regulations, tit. 14, sec. 15306 provides that projects which consist of basic data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an
environmental resources are categorically exempt from CEQA. The project will include load management testing to collect data and metrics, such as distribution-capacity utilization, avoided capacity upgrades, feeder load and renewable hosting capacity, and microgrid interconnection timelines to become operational with existing infrastructure, and submit a Monitoring and Evaluation Report and a Project Case Study Report with the results. This work will not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource. For this reason, the proposed project will not have a significant effect on the environment and is categorically exempt from CEQA under California Code of Regulations, tit. 14, sec.15306.
The project does not involve impacts on any particularly sensitive environment; will not impact an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern where designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies; does not involve any cumulative impacts of successive projects of the same type in the same place that might be considered significant; does not involve unusual circumstances that might have a significant effect on the environment; will not result in damage to scenic resources within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway; the project site is not included on any list compiled pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5; and the project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. Therefore, none of the
exceptions to categorical exemptions listed in CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply to this project, and this project will not have a significant effect on the environment.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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