In an iconic photo from last August's Hurricane Harvey, a national guardsman in near waist-high flood waters carries a woman to safety on his back. The photo depicts a common thread found in disaster rescue – the military are called. So it makes sense that today’s movement to improve urban resilience – and add microgrids – looks to the … [Read more...]
Beleaguered by famine, terrorism and war, Somalia has the added burden of some of the highest energy costs in the world. But now relief is coming in the form of solar microgrids for refugees and communities thanks to an East African company. SolarGen Technologies is on a mission to help stabilize the country of 12 million people, using solar … [Read more...]
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and similar organizations from Australia, Canada, Europe and Japan joined forces this week to support modernizing the grid and including microgrids as part of the backbone. Meeting in Washington, D.C. for the International Electricity Summit, leaders from major electric power associations issued a joint … [Read more...]
The microgrid market stands to get a boost from the recent extension of a federal tax credit for combined heat and power (CHP), often a key element of microgrids. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, signed into law February 9, reinstated the 10 percent tax credit (ITC) for CHP technologies. Project developers can use the credit for projects that … [Read more...]
Municipal microgrid bill moves forward in Maine Pro-microgrid legislation in Maine now heads to the full House and Senate for consideration following its approval March 20 by the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. Sponsored by Rep. Mick Devin, LD 257 would allow Maine cities and towns to develop microgrids in … [Read more...]
Colorado businesses and residents can now install energy storage without discrimination in utility rates, charges or treatment -- a move that could increase development of solar-storage microgrids. The guarantee comes by way of an energy storage rights bill recently signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper. Hailed by supporters as landmark legislation, … [Read more...]
Worry is so high about power reliability that businesses are taking matters into their own hands, with data centers particularly active in seeking energy alternatives, according to an industry survey. Released last week for the first time in its entirety, “State of Commercial & Industrial Power Reliability,” analyzes results from a survey of … [Read more...]
Resilient energy – technologies like microgrids that allow us to rebound quickly from a power outage – is evolving from a mere buzzword into a valuable product, sometimes even bumping green energy into second place. The US Army offers a good example of this change, as explained recently by Michael McGee, executive director of the Army’s Office … [Read more...]
In the wake of the fires that ravaged Sonoma County in October 2017, the Clean Coalition — a non-profit that aims to accelerate the use of clean energy and technologies — is working to create community microgrids in the area. The organization compares efforts in Sonoma County to work in Puerto Rico, where hurricanes ravaged the island and … [Read more...]
A utility microgrid bill is headed to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives following unanimous committee approval Monday. The Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee voted in favor of HB 1412, which clears the way for utilities to build microgrid pilot projects and recover their costs through rates. The bill arose out … [Read more...]
In this edition of Industry Perspectives, Christie Hicks of the Environmental Defense Fund, sheds light on a new agreement with Illinois’ largest utility, ComEd, that may pave the way for private microgrids to use utility wires.
In this paper, new voltage sensitivity indexes are proposed to search and evaluate the candidate buses in a microgrid, where the energy storage systems can be installed to contribute most effectively to the system. To learn more about optimized energy storage in a microgrid download this white paper.
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