The possibility of PG&E power shutoffs is costing Bay Area businesses a lot of money because many businesses, especially wineries, are having to pay to implement backup plans.
Channel 7 talked to a winery in Windsor that has 2,500 barrels of wine at their facility and about 600 tons of grapes that will be processed this year. That is millions of dollars of inventory that can't get warm. Keeping the grapes cool is crucial to their business.
A generator to be purchased and used in case the power is shut off will cost about $42,000! On top of that cost is diesel fuel needed to run the generator so add a few more thousand dollars per day!
The electrical contractor who setup this particular winery's generator says before PG&E public safety power shutoffs, they would normally have set-up five backup generators by this time of year. Already this year, they've rented out 35 units.
Jack and Carolyn talked about it on the air! Listen below: