Replay of Conference Sessions on Microgrid Costs and Savings — Free through June 3

Along with many others in the Southeastern US, I found myself searching in vain for gasoline this week, a circumstance that reminded me of the importance of local energy.

Somewhere far off in another country, a hacker infiltrated a US energy company, crippling a fuel supply line that runs 5,500 miles from New York to Texas and leaving me, like others, unsure if I’d make it home from work on the gasoline left in my tank.

It is an example of the vulnerability of sole reliance on big energy. 

Electric grids are the big energy equivalent of the fuel line on the power side of the energy industry. They carry electricity instead of fuel, but are subject to the same kind of far-reaching calamities because of a single point of failure. So far, we haven’t experienced massive power outages because of a cyberattack, but we have — again and again — because of storms, wildfires or something as simple as a tree branch falling on a wire in the wrong place.

Local energy doesn’t cause widespread outages because of a single point of failure. Even if a microgrid fails, it would impact only its few customers, not millions. And most microgrids are built with redundancy, the ability to fall back on the grid or even, in some cases, another microgrid, should they have a problem.

Perhaps more to the point, a microgrid future, one that envisions electric vehicles taking power from local energy, would be free of dependence not only on massive electric transmission lines, but also distant fuel lines. That future is coming fast. Take a look at the article published this week on Microgrid Knowledge about a microgrid being built at an electric bus depot in Maryland. 

These are the kind of topics being discussed by visionary panelists at Microgrid 2021, a virtual event now underway through June 3. We encourage you to join the conversation. You can register for free and watch any of the webinars, panels, tours or showcases. Join us live to ask questions of panelists or watch the replay of past sessions (the event began May 11).

The following webinars and panel discussions on microgrid costs and savings are available for free replay through June 3.

How Microgrids Reduce Energy Costs

Microgrids not only reduce energy costs but can also earn revenue. Here is a look at how three microgrids improved the energy economics for the facilities they serve. (Webinar)

Moderator: Elena Cahill, Founder of Globele Energy and author of Power Economics

Presenters:

• Bill Becker, Renewable Energy Sales Manager, ComAp, “Willinga Park Hybrid Microgrid: Reducing Costs at the Grid Edge”
• Brian Curtis, Founder and CEO, Concentric Power and Rene Mendez, City Manager of Gonzales, California, “The Little Town that Could: How Gonzales, California, is Building the State’s Largest Multi-Customer Microgrid”
• Cordelia Thielitz, Vice President of Microgrid Solutions, Rolls-Royce, “Three Microgrids that Helped Customers Reduce Energy Costs”

Network with Microgrid Solutions Experts

Customize your agenda, check out the Microgrid Resources Library or visit our exhibitor hall where you can meet 1 on 1 with over 35 microgrid solutions experts.

Virtual Microgrid Tour

Get an inside look at two microgrids: Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Headwaters Center in Winter Park, Colorado. Learn about the challenges, the solutions and the outcomes of these microgrid facilities and then ask questions of the developers and engineers.

Moderator: Kevin Normandeau, Publisher, Microgrid Knowledge

Speakers:

• David Stringer, Senior Business Development Manager, DEIF
• Jason Allen, Service and Support Engineer, DEIF

Crunching the Numbers on Microgrids

What will your microgrid cost and how much money can it save you? A panel of experts looks at such issues as geographic cost differences, generation choices, controller sophistication and financial benefits offered by wholesale market opportunities, load management and demand response. (Panel discussion)

Moderator: Ken Horne, Director in Energy, Sustainability and Infrastructure, Guidehouse

Panelists:

• Zachary Bradford, CEO, President & Director, CleanSpark
• Thomas Hawes, Business Development Director, S&C
• Rob Hong, Co-Founder and CEO, Sapling Financial Consultants
• Peter Lilienthal, CEO, HOMER Energy/Global Microgrid Lead, UL Renewables
• Michael Robinson, Associate Director – Microgrids, EDF Renewables

How to Pay for Your Microgrid

What project financing options are available? Is energy-as-a-service right for your facility? Do you qualify for government incentives and tax credits? Financial experts educate you about your options. (Webinar)

Moderator: Elisa Wood, Editor-in-Chief, Microgrid Knowledge

Presenters:

• Scott Benson, Manager, Resource & Transmission Planning, Lincoln Energy Systems, “Leveraging Existing Utility Infrastructure: The Lincoln, Nebraska, Community Microgrid”
• Jim Fonger, Vice President of Business Development and Distributed Generation, Ameresco; John Kononiuk, Executive Manager of Facilities, London District Catholic School Board, “How the Energy-as-a-Service Model Helped Fund Canada’s First Carbon Neutral School”
• Thomas Poteet, Vice President, Corporate Development, Mesa Solutions, “Selecting a Microgrid that Matches Your Load Profile and Budget”

Network with Microgrid Solutions Experts

Visit the Microgrid Resources Library where you can access dozens of free reports and white papers to help you plan your microgrid strategy or swing by the exhibitor hall and request a 1 on 1 meeting with any of 35+ microgrid solutions experts.

Workshop: The Value of Resilience: Quantifying the Benefits of Microgrids

In this workshop, we will focus on the design, economics and dispatch of a standardized modular microgrid. You’ll be surprised to learn it is no more complicated than a standard solar project, with significantly more resilience.

Moderator: Kevin Normandeau, Publisher, Microgrid Knowledge

Presenters:

• Duncan Campbell, VP, Project Analysis, Scale Microgrid Solutions
• Gauri Dixit, Project Analyst, Scale Microgrid Solutions

Why Does a Microgrid Cost What It Costs?

Microgrid leaders describe issues that drive up microgrid costs — development and permitting delays, state regulations and utility rules, generation choices, location, market rules — and how to overcome them. (Panel discussion)

Moderator: Peter Asmus, Research Director, Guidehouse Insights

Panelists:

• Bruce Nordman, Research Scientist, LBNL
• Manoj Sinha, CEO, Husk Power Systems
• John Westerman, Director of Project Development and Engineering, Microgrid Competency Center, Schneider Electric

We welcome you to register for these sessions, free of charge, through June 3. 

For more information about Microgrid 2021, we welcome you to peruse the agenda and speaker roster. You are welcome to attend all sessions or choose those that most interest you.

Microgrid 2021 is designed for businesses, government agencies, institutions, municipalities and communities — or for anyone interested in learning about how a microgrid will improve their operation.

The event is hosted by Microgrid Knowledge, the world’s largest news site devoted to all things microgrid.