Ameresco’s Britta MacIntosh, senior vice president, western region and London operations, and Jacqueline DeRosa, vice president, battery energy storage systems, sat down with Microgrid Knowledge’s Elisa Wood at Microgrid California to discuss some of the factors spurring microgrid adoption in California.
Dynamic advancements in technology, along with skilled clean tech integrators and access to capital are some of the key elements driving the growth of the microgrid market in California, according to Britta MacIntosh, Ameresco’s senior vice president, western region and London operations. In a recent interview with Microgrid Knowledge’s Editor-in-Chief Elisa Wood, MacIntosh says that “most importantly, we’re seeing a customer base that’s really energized and looking to figure out ways in which they can either address ESG goals, resiliency and energy security concerns at their facilities.” She also believes that customers are looking to understand the value of microgrids in their daily operations.
Jacqueline DeRosa, Ameresco’s vice president of battery energy storage systems, agrees and shares insights on some of the common obstructions microgrid developers are facing. DeRosa says that regulatory policies and market design can be challenging for both investor owned and municipal utilities in California and beyond. She notes that California isn’t implementing new technology solutions as quickly as it could because of a lack of understanding and awareness of what a microgrid is and what it does. To ensure microgrid adoption increases, “we need to make sure that everybody understands how these new technologies are going to operate,” DeRosa says.
A microgrid is an “aggregation of resources that should be treated like a new resource,” according to DeRosa, noting that a microgrid delivers value in island mode during times of crisis, as well as in blue sky mode. “We need to change the way we think of these resources so that we understand that the microgrid solution can provide multiple use applications and it can be valued for just that.”
Look for more interviews with microgrid experts in the Microgrid Knowledge Video Library.
