California-based cleantech startup Mainspring Energy has raised $95 million in a Series D financing round led by the private equity firm Devonshire Investors. Mainspring Energy plans to use the funding to accelerate the delivery of linear generators that it uses in microgrids and commercial, industrial and utility applications. The company … [Read more...]
Mainspring Raises $95 Million in Series D Financing for New Linear Generation Technology
May 7, 2021 By Leave a Comment
The Top Microgrid Misconceptions Debunked
April 23, 2021 By
Microgrids are too expensive, the renewable energy component is not dependable and microgrids are no better than backup generators. These are the top three microgrid misconceptions that prevent businesses from installing microgrids, say providers of the technology. In addition, customers mistakenly believe that the technology is immature and … [Read more...]
How to Model Electricity Bill Savings for Microgrid Developers
April 23, 2021 By
Rob Hong, co-founder and CEO of Sapling Financial Consultants shares insights on how microgrid developers can illustrate electricity bill savings to their customers. One of the most important pieces of the sale process for microgrid developers is to show how customers will realize cost savings compared to their current arrangement with their … [Read more...]
Alaska Governor Seeks Green Bank for Microgrids, Clean Energy
April 16, 2021 By
Lawmakers in Alaska are working on legislation introduced by the governor that could create a green bank to provide funding for microgrids and other clean energy projects. On April 9, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy introduced the Alaska Energy Independence Act (SB 123, HB 170) to spur sustainable energy development by issuing loans for qualified … [Read more...]
A 28-MW Virgin Islands Microgrid Receives FEMA Funding
April 13, 2021 By
A 28-MW microgrid project in the US Virgin Islands was awarded $4.4 million by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the project’s initial phase. The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) will use the funding to design and engineer the project, according to Noel Hodge, the utility’s interim executive director. WAPA … [Read more...]
Australia’s Northern Territory to Offer Competitive Tender for Remote Microgrids
April 13, 2021 By
This article, by Sophie Vorrath, first appeared in One Step off the Grid, a publication based in Australia The Northern Territory (NT) government has laid the foundations for plans to transition scores of remote indigenous communities to renewable-based power systems by 2030, with the announcement of $2 million in funding and a competitive … [Read more...]
Minigrids Act as the Seed of Change in Cameroon
April 5, 2021 By
In the Central African country of Cameroon, electricity is scarce outside of major cities. But that may soon change because of a public-private partnership that has a set goal of installing 750 minigrids. The effort is about more than lighting up the 11,000 villages that lack power; the partners hope to foster long-term social, environmental … [Read more...]
Not Wanting to Become Texas, New Jersey Grants $4 Million for Microgrid Studies
March 12, 2021 By
New Jersey regulators last week approved an additional $4 million for detailed microgrid designs as part of its ongoing Town Center Distributed Energy Resources Microgrid Program. The proposed microgrids, all for government entities, would serve 24 FEMA Category IV facilities (such as hospitals, police stations and water supply facilities) … [Read more...]
Biden Administration Names Jigar Shah Head of US DOE’s $44 Billion Loan Program
March 5, 2021 By
The Biden administration selected Jigar Shah, a well-known figure in the microgrid community, to run the Department of Energy’s (DOE) loan program, which has about $44 billion in available lending authority. The DOE is expected to play a central role in the Biden administration’s efforts to fight climate change. President Joe Biden aims to … [Read more...]
House Climate Bill Includes Billions for Microgrid Funding
March 4, 2021 By
A sweeping climate bill introduced in the US House of Representatives this week includes billions in microgrid funding. The CLEAN Future Act authorizes $565 billion in spending to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, with an interim target of reducing carbon pollution by 50% from 2005 levels by the end of this decade. The … [Read more...]
