The US Congress passed a pandemic relief bill late Monday night that includes funding for microgrids, energy storage and renewable energy. The spending package includes the Energy Act of 2020, which contains consensus provisions from Senate and House energy legislation, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Dec. … [Read more...]
US Development Bank to Invest $2B to Overcome Energy Poverty in Partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation
December 21, 2020 By Leave a Comment
The US International Development Finance Corp. (DFC) plans to invest up to $2 billion, and The Rockefeller Foundation up to $50 million, to end energy poverty by expanding development of distributed energy systems, including minigrids. The two organizations announced a memorandum of understanding today to work together to bring reliable … [Read more...]
Third-Party Ownership Models for Modern Microgrids
December 17, 2020 By Leave a Comment
We continue a special report series, courtesy of Sapling Financial Consultants and Scale Microgrid Solutions, that explores third-party ownership models for microgrids. The interlocking, and sometimes conflicting, interests and risks associated with revenue streams, ownership and capital requirements are the key drivers in drawing up the … [Read more...]
Gridscape Receives Funds to Help Build Microgrids, Reduce Greenhouse Gases
December 17, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Gridscape Solutions, a California based microgrid developer, has received a loan guarantee from the San Francisco Bay Area Air Improvement District's (BAAIQD) Climate Tech finance program. The funds will go towards building microgrids that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to Vipul Gore, Gridscape's president & CEO, the … [Read more...]
As It Plans World’s Biggest Virtual Power Plant, OhmConnect Warns of Market Flaws in California
December 11, 2020 By 4 Comments
OhmConnect, partnering with Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, plans a 550-MW virtual power plant (VPP), Resi-Station, created by pooling and controlling homeowners’ devices and microgrids to provide clean power for California via aggregated flexible demand. Said to be the biggest project of its kind in the world, Resi-Station will help meet … [Read more...]
US DOE Incorporates Microgrids into Plan for 16 Federal Projects
December 7, 2020 By 7 Comments
In another sign that the US government is making energy resilience a priority, the Department of Energy (DOE) is incorporating microgrids as part of a program to spur $440 million in energy improvements for 16 federal projects Announced late last week, the effort is meant to bring energy efficiency and resilience to a range of facilities … [Read more...]
How Financiers Think about Microgrid Project Funding
December 3, 2020 By Leave a Comment
This is the first entry in a series courtesy of Sapling Financial Consultants and Scale Microgrid Solutions that shows readers the ins and outs of microgrid project funding. Find out what your potential financiers are thinking. Mind the gap It’s far easier to finance a microgrid today than it was just a few years ago thanks to new financing … [Read more...]
Are Government Incentives a Good Idea for Microgrids?
December 1, 2020 By 4 Comments
History shows us that an injection of government funding often boosts new and promising energy technologies. But is the same true for microgrids? In the US, few government incentives exist that are solely for microgrids. If that should change — and how it should change — were topics addressed in a recent Microgrid Knowledge audience survey, … [Read more...]
Industry Bullish on Future of Microgrid Market Over Next 10 Years
November 18, 2020 By 2 Comments
The microgrid industry is bullish about the future of the microgrid market over the next 10 years, expecting the energy as a service model and modular microgrids to grow quickly worldwide. But in the US, regulatory challenges create hurdles, said speakers Tuesday during the second day of the Microgrid 2020 Global Conference. “If we lay the … [Read more...]
California Demonstration Brings Prosumers into Energy Markets
November 17, 2020 By 2 Comments
A prototype community southeast of Los Angeles, California, aims to demonstrate the advantages of prosumers in a disadvantaged community selling into electricity markets and reaping a cleaner environment plus income and resilience. The Basset-Avocado Advanced Energy Community (BAAEC) is funded in part by a $9 million grant from the California … [Read more...]
