The energy industry is poised for what some describe as a sizable investment shift. Oil and gas lose, and power wins with the growing electrification of transportation and buildings. So what does this mean for microgrids? Mark Feasel, vice president of smart grid, Schneider Electric, offered insight in a recent interview leading up to … [Read more...]
Project developers are in search of microgrid financing; financiers are in search of investment-grade projects. Microgrid 2019 offers a platform to bring the two together in year two of the Microgrid Financing Connection. Launched last year at Microgrid 2018 in Chicago, the popular match-making program is being continued for Microgrid 2019, … [Read more...]
Massachusetts, California, New York and Illinois are the top four states for energy democracy, as ranked by their commitment to boosting community-level renewable energy, according to a second annual Community Power Scorecard. The scorecard, released by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, names these states as stars because their energy … [Read more...]
Nigeria plans to seek contractors for $350M minigrid project The Nigerian government plans to secure competitive bids for minigrid projects that it intends to finance through $350 million it is seeking from the World Bank. In a general procurement notice, the federal government said that it will need goods, works, related services and … [Read more...]
Maryland offering energy storage tax credit The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is accepting applications for its 2019 energy storage tax credit program, designed to boost use of the resource among households and businesses in the state. Maryland made national news in 2017 as the first state to pass a bill allowing taxpayers to claim … [Read more...]
Almost 25 percent of microgrids today use the Energy-as-a-Service Model, also know as EaaS. In this selection from a new special report from Microgrid Knowledge and Schneider Electric, we break down this new model that aims to make it easier to develop and operate microgrids. Although introduced only a few years ago, the energy-as-a-service … [Read more...]
A carbon-capping bill with good prospects to pass the Oregon Legislature could boost microgrid development and resilience efforts in the state. HB 2020, sponsored by the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction, where it is now being reviewed, doesn’t specifically address microgrids. But it will create an environment that’s friendly to them, said … [Read more...]
Fear of risk deters companies, institutions and communities from pursuing microgrids. In this excerpt from a new special report from Microgrid Knowledge and Schneider Electric we examine how the EaaS model secures microgrid benefits without the inherent financial, developmental and ownership risk. It’s clear that microgrids need an ‘easy … [Read more...]
ABB, a global technology company that specializes in power and automation, plans to boost energy storage and microgrid installations with a $113 million fund provided by Susi Partners, a clean energy infrastructure investment advisor. Under an agreement between the two companies, ABB will provide its ABB Ability-based microgrid technology … [Read more...]
CrossBoundary Energy Access is investing an initial $16 million of capital to finance about 190 solar minigrids, each with a capacity of 6 kW-1 MW, across Sub-Saharan Africa. All told, the minigrids will bring electricity to nearly 34,000 off-grid, rural households and businesses -- about 70,000 people who now lack energy access, according … [Read more...]
As new technologies become available and new conditions emerge, proactive adaptation can cost much less than reacting, particularly when some costs are intangible. Advisian’s Tristan Jackson and Andrea Ruotolo stress the importance of climate change adaptation in designing the more sustainable, distributed, resilient grid of the future.
So how can utilities continue to fulfill their service reliability obligations of today, while also integrating the distributed energy and up-and-coming technologies of tomorrow? Download the new white paper from Siemens and learn more about how today’s utilities are beginning to prepare by entering discussions around grid modernization, DER compensation, and business model transformation, by sharply enhancing core utility priorities, such as reliability, resiliency, and efficiency.
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