A solar microgrid, built in 27 days in cold and windy weather, was Southern California Edison’s (SCE) solution to an urgent need to avert wildfires near a remote dam in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Installing the microgrid in November allowed the utility to turn off a line that provided power to the site of the Gem Dam, part of the Rush … [Read more...]
S&C Electric's Erik Svanholm discusses the potential of microgrids as non-wires alternatives, which use distributed energy resources and microgrids to defer or replace the installation of more traditional ‘wires and poles’ infrastructure. Non-wires alternatives (NWAs) are any nontraditional investments that allow electric utilities to … [Read more...]
Texas consumers could save $5.47 billion over ten years with distributed energy resources (DERs), but regulations must change to realize these benefits. A study by Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA) identified two ways DERs can reduce costs: Act as non-wires alternatives to avoid investment in tranmission and distribution … [Read more...]
The Holy Grail of local energy lies in the ability of customers to sell to one another. LO3 Energy, a leader in the quest, took a big step today with a program that lets homeowners sell renewables directly to businesses served by Vermont utility Green Mountain Power. Called Vermont Green, the pilot project also looks to solve some haunting … [Read more...]
The Public Utilities Commission of Hawaii is pushing back against Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO) proposed integrated grid plan (IGP) because it has not given sufficient consideration to non-wires alternatives. HECO may be prematurely excluding non-wires alternatives and “significantly” delaying the proposed soft launch of its IGP, the … [Read more...]
Severe heat and storms across the US this summer have strained the electric grid and caused extensive power outages. But the microgrids are working. Consider what happened on July 20 in northeast and north central Wisconsin when a thunderstorm knocked out power to 240,000 customers, leaving 50,000 with no power for two to three days. The … [Read more...]
While it may seem that microgrids are new, the history of microgrids shows they have been around in some form for years in the US — although they haven’t always been called microgrids. The first one was introduced by Thomas Edison in 1882 at his Pearl Street Station, which combined heat and power and produced electricity and thermal … [Read more...]
In a filing before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Alternative Transmission (ATI) proposes a technology that could bring a new meaning to the concept of non-wires alternatives. Based in Sullivan’s Island, S.C., the company wants to move batteries by rail for discharge and charge where needed on the electric grid. Further, … [Read more...]
Non-wires alternatives (NWAs) use distributed energy resources and microgrids to defer or replace the installation of more traditional 'wires and poles' infrastructure. When utilities choose non-wires alternatives, they often save ratepayers money by avoiding investments in costly infrastructure. By utilizing distributed energy resources (DER) at … [Read more...]
Erik Svanholm, vice president, non-wires alternatives for S&C Electric, defines the term 'non-wires alternatives' and gives examples of how microgrids can provide these alternatives to traditional investments in wires and the transmission grid during an interview with Microgrid Knowledge's Elisa Wood at Microgrid … [Read more...]
Jules Nohra, director of optimization services, Veolia North America, explains why microgrid projects need to start with energy monitoring and energy efficiency.
This report makes plain the complexities involved in capturing DER benefits. Some of the most significant advantages occur within wholesale energy market transactions, a complex arena best pursued with guidance from experts in the space. Download “The Evolution of Distributed Energy Resources: What the Rise of Local Energy Means for Businesses, Institutions and Communities,” special report today — timely, given the pace of change in energy technology and lack of knowledge among energy users about new possibilities.
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