Jigar Shah, a well-known energy entrepreneur who now serves as director of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) loan programs, posted on LinkedIn last week: “This is why #microgrids and #distributedgeneration are becoming so popular.” Shah was referring to a US Energy Information Administration (EIA) graphic that shows power production costs falling … [Read more...]
UK Microgrid Project Offers Path to Residential Electrification
November 22, 2021 By
A new zero-carbon microgrid development underway in the UK could pilot a route to the use of microgrids that add far greater value to energy consumers. The Grove Park housing and business development at Sellindge, near Ashford in Kent, will be powered exclusively via a renewable energy plus storage microgrid coupled with a smart grid … [Read more...]
Welcome, Stranger, to the Real Energy Revolution: Demand Flexibility and Connected Communities
October 19, 2021 By
If you asked folks on the street about the energy revolution, they’d probably say something about wind and solar. They'd be a bit behind the times. Renewables were the game changer a decade ago. Today’s insurgent is energy flexibility. Energy flexibility is a software-driven ability imbued within advanced distributed energy resources, such … [Read more...]
How Rural Electric Cooperatives Can Power Through California Outages with Microgrids
July 19, 2021 By
Rural electric cooperatives often don’t own their own power resources and usually rely on other utilities’ lines for importing power, which can create challenges during public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) or grid outages. Microgrids can help solve these problems. Take, for example, Anza Electric Cooperative, which is located in a high … [Read more...]
Why and How to Bring Microgrids to Small Town America
March 26, 2021 By
This spring, the Poudre Valley Electric Association (PVREA), which provides power to northern Colorado, plans to test a microgrid for a small town that has experienced outages because of car accidents on curvy roads, extreme weather, and, in September, a fire that left the town without power for 52 hours. The microgrid, which will replace … [Read more...]
Puget Sound Energy Looks to Invest Heavily in DERs
March 9, 2021 By
Amid plans to shed about 750 MW of coal-fired generation, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is preparing to invest heavily in distributed energy resources (DERs), including non-wires alternatives and possibly microgrids, according to a draft integrated resource plan (IRP). “Distributed energy resources, such as battery energy storage and rooftop as … [Read more...]
Microgrid at Australian Equestrian Center Helps Town Hit by Bush Fires
March 2, 2021 By
When bush fires swept the south coast of New South Wales in Australia last year, an equestrian center showed why it's good to have a neighbor with a microgrid. Willinga Park, an equestrian property that spans 2,000 acres on two national parks, became a safe haven for local residents’ cattle and horses in December, and its islanded microgrid … [Read more...]
California Regulators to Tackle Payment for DERs Acting as Non-Wires Alternatives
February 9, 2021 By
California is on a cutting edge quest to find ways to accurately value decentralized energy, as evidenced last month in its microgrid tariff decision, and this week as it takes up a proposal on using distributed energy as non-wires alternatives. The California Public Utilities Commission is slated Thursday to consider two pilot programs that … [Read more...]
Built With Frugal Innovation, Solar Microgrids Improve Medical Care in the Himalayas
February 5, 2021 By
In remote villages in the Himalayas, medical centers often lack critical medical equipment, refrigerators for vaccines and dependable electricity for light and other essentials. But Paras Loomba intends to change that, bringing solar microgrids to medical centers, which will allow for vaccine storage, baby warmers, ventilators and other items that … [Read more...]
Wisconsin Utility Proposes Microgrid Resiliency Program with up to 22 Projects
December 14, 2020 By
In response to customer demand for increased resiliency, Xcel Energy’s Wisconsin utility is proposing a microgrid pilot program that could include 22 projects. Northern States Power’s Resiliency Service Pilot would be capped at 30 MW, with a third of the capacity dedicated to governmental and nonprofit entities, according to a Dec. 9 filing … [Read more...]
