FuelCell Energy gets Trinity College microgrid-ready FuelCell Energy has executed a power purchase agreement with Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, to install a 1.4 MW microgrid-ready fuel cell power plant. The college, which serves 2,200 students on a 100-acre campus, expects to save about 30 percent in annual energy costs through … [Read more...]
New York state government is about to walk the talk. The state that has been encouraging its communities to install microgrids now will build its own microgrid in Albany, the seat of state government. Gov. Andrew Cuomo today launched development of a 16-MW microgrid to power the 98-acre Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State … [Read more...]
Editor's Note: Here we profile the Buffalo-Niagara microgrid in our series on the NY Prize Stage 2 winners, which each received $1 million. The 11 proposals are now vying to win build-out funds in Stage 3 of the $40 million competition. SolarCity’s September 2014 announcement that it would build a solar photovoltaic (PV) gigafactory in Buffalo, … [Read more...]
Say ‘oil’ and Houston comes to mind. Software is Silicon Valley. Steel is Pittsburgh. But for the fledgling microgrid industry, a regional identity has yet to form. California and New York are strong contenders. But the title could go to Massachusetts. Consider the company Massachusetts keeps. GE and Schneider Electric, two energy … [Read more...]
Two carefully-watched microgrids took big steps forward April 6. The Schneider Electric microgrid was unveiled in Massachusetts, and Duke Energy won regulatory approval for its unusual Mount Sterling project in North Carolina. The success of these projects brings good news to the young microgrid industry. But it is still not clear whether … [Read more...]
It’s no secret that colleges and universities are some of the biggest microgrid users. But a new report says we should see more renewable energy and microgrids at these institutions. The report, from Environment America Research & Policy Center, “Renewable Energy 100: The Course to a Carbon-Free Campus,” says that the shift to 100 … [Read more...]
The idea of microgrids looked pretty good on the East Coast this week Microgrids were probably on the minds of more than a few people this week when a blizzardy storm named Stella knocked out power to more than 440,000 electric customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Outages occurred March 13-15 from Virginia to Nova Scotia. Dominion … [Read more...]
Another monster, grid-threatening storm is bearing down on the U.S. Northeast this week. If widespread electricity failures occur, analysts will once again try to figure out what power outages cost the economy, a way of pegging microgrid value. But there is another way to look at it – a more proactive approach. What’s the value of averting the … [Read more...]
Anbaric partners with pension fund to build $2 billion in microgrids and transmission Anbaric, a developer of microgrids and transmission projects, has formed a joint venture with the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to construct $2 billion in energy infrastructure in North America. Called Anbaric Development Partners, the company will be led by … [Read more...]
John Shenot, of the Regulatory Assistance Project, explains why wind, solar, energy storage and microgrids are becoming attractive to planners focused on resilience. Resilience is a character trait that is universally admired and respected in people. In recent years, it has also gained attention as a new imperative for infrastructure planning … [Read more...]
S&C Electric’s US President Michael Edmonds talks about a problem not caught by old-school reliability measures — momentary power outages that disrupt sensitive equipment. The problem is growing, he says. The cause may surprise you.
A microgrid is a discrete energy system consisting of distributed energy sources (e.g. renewables, conventional, storage) and loads capable of operating in parallel with, or independently from, the main grid. The primary purpose is to ensure reliable, affordable energy security for commercial, industrial and federal government consumers. Benefits that extend to utilities and the community at large include lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lower stress on the transmission and distribution system.
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