A new microgrid advocacy group, the Microgrid Alliance (MGA), has formed to offer a voice to the growing microgrid industry.
The group announced its formation and initial membership on May 12. This follows the formation of another microgrid advocacy group, the Microgrid Resources Coalition (MRC), in February at an International Energy District Association conference in Atlanta.
The new MGA will host two inaugural events in the coming weeks, a microgrid workshop at the National Town Meeting on Demand Response & Smart Grid in Washington, D.C on May 19, and a meeting of members and prospective members at the Microgrid Global Summit in Irvine, California on May 22.
The MGA says it was formed with the aim of bringing together parties that want to accelerate the growth and development of microgrids. Founding members include General MicroGrids, Landis+Gyr, Homer Energy, Alstom, Enbala, EarthSpark International, ESTA International, and Green Energy Corp.
“Through my company’s work on microgrids, I have seen the need for coordination between those of us involved in this growing industry,” said Terry Mohn, CEO of General MicroGrids and chairman of the Microgrid Alliance, in a news release. “The Microgrid Alliance fills this void by educating the public, advocating for policies that promote microgrids, and providing a venue for its members to share best practices.”
Dan Delurey, who will serve as MGA executive director, said that although “’microgrid’ has been somewhat of a buzzword in the energy sector for several years, it is really moving into the mainstream now.”
“The MGA is the only organization to bring together a broad group of companies working on microgrids to provide a collective voice for this sector,” Delurey said in the press statement.
Members of MGA are Alstom, EarthSpark International, Enbala, ESTA International, General Microgrids, Green Energy Corp., Homer Energy, and Landis+Gyr. The MGA members include grid technology companies, software and service companies, demand response providers, renewable energy and storage companies, building owners and operators and research organizations. The organization plans to encourage other stakeholders to join.
