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...]
Sometimes the reason for microgrids is so obvious it comes like a big blue flash in the sky. Such was the case in late December when Consolidated Edison’s system malfunctioned causing a gas flare that had some New Yorkers looking to the skies and wondering if space aliens had come to Queens. It took an announcement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to … [Read more...]
Puerto Rico’s utility is calling for segmenting the island's electrical grid into eight minigrids, myriad microgrids and installing more energy storage than is now in all 50 US states. The concept is outlined in a draft integrated resource plan (IRP) that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) plans to finalize and submit to … [Read more...]
Mark Feasel of Schneider Electric looks at the Port of Long Beach in California as a model for how we can modernize infrastructure. Despite its position as a world power, the US infrastructure ranks behind that of most other advanced nations. Today, the US spends less on infrastructure as a percentage of GDP than at any time in the past … [Read more...]
Microgrids can protect public health during power outages by keeping the water clean, ensuring medical facilities are running, and keeping people cool during dangerous heat waves. But a number of challenges must be overcome, especially at the policy level, in order to realize these benefits. Both public-health and electricity industry … [Read more...]
A group effort by Puget Sound Energy, the city of Tenino, Wash., a nonprofit organization, and others has yielded plans for a utility-owned microgrid that can island and provide power to the Tenino School District. Under the effort, called the Tenino Innovation and Education Through Renewables (TIER) project, numerous funders are backing a … [Read more...]
Energy is changing so fast it’s a little dangerous to make predictions. But three ideas are emerging in the US that warrant a close look given how profoundly they could reshape both microgrids and the macrogrid in 2019. The Green New Deal The first and potentially biggest is the Green New Deal, a political concept being pushed by some … [Read more...]
Jigar Shah is best known as the founder of SunEdison, a company that helped propel solar on its meteoric growth path with “no money-down” solar financing. But now he’s putting his money and passion behind fuel cells and other clean resources to move the “resource revolution” forward and help the banking community feel more comfortable with … [Read more...]
A community microgrid, some prosumers and consumers — all with access to backup power from a utility — could form the basis for energy sharing in a community, according to a research report from a Missouri University of Science and Technology researcher. Julia Morgan, a Ph.D student in systems engineering, has developed a model for energy … [Read more...]
Over the course of each year, energy leaders from throughout the spectrum of microgrid industries offer insight to our readers through the Microgrid Knowledge Industry Perspectives column. The column features experts from leading companies and organizations, among them Ameresco, Dynamic Energy Networks, Eaton, S&C Electric, Schneider Electric, … [Read more...]
Ameresco’s vice president of microgrid services, Will Agate, describes the process of getting started on your microgrid project — the very first step of which is to carefully consider and define the needs of your organization and its community.
The new energy industry is working to categorize the various types of microgrids and business models. The primary goal is to minimize microgrid system cost and funding. To learn more about microgrid business modes and value chains download this white paper.
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