Analyzing which articles attract readership offers us valuable insight into market trends. What did the 10 most read microgrid articles of 2021 tell us? A lot of newcomers are exploring the topic and strong curiosity exists about project innovation and the role of microgrids during disasters. Readers are also keeping a careful eye on policy changes, especially in California and the US overall. And they are always up for a good discussion on the future vision for microgrids.
Top 10 microgrid articles 2021
By Mike Elliott/Shutterstock.com
1
By Elisa Wood
Curiosity about microgrids is on the rise, as evidenced by the growing attention to our most fundamental cornerstone article. Page views for this post, which explains how Microgrid Knowledge defines the term “microgrid,” were six times higher than they were for the second most read article.
2
21 Intriguing Microgrid Projects to Watch in 2021
By Elisa Wood
Here’s the list of microgrid projects we highlighted in early 2021 for their innovation, ability to serve as models and demonstration of microgrid benefits. We initially intended to name five, then 10, but there were so many that were notable, we found it hard to cull the list. So we went with 21, which seemed appropriate for the year.
3
Texas on the Verge of an Energy Catastrophe: How Microgrids are Helping
By Elisa Wood
We recount the near total collapse of the Texas grid during Winter Storm Uri, a tragedy that caused millions of Texans to lose electricity and some to lose their lives as bitter cold swept the state. Those who were lucky had microgrids to keep the power flowing. Enchanted Rock and PowerSecure were among the microgrid companies that have built microgrids in Texas. They were up and running while large swaths of the power grid remained down.
4
California Microgrid to Demonstrate that Hospitals Don’t Need Diesel Generators
By Lisa Cohn
For those who favor 100% renewable energy, health care facilities are a vexing case. Many hospitals rely on fossil fuel backup generators because they can’t take the risk of losing power if the sun isn’t shining and the batteries are depleted. Kaiser Permanente plans to demonstrate a range of energy innovations at a hospital microgrid in Ontario, California, that will show how to incorporate renewable energy and move away from diesel generators.
5
US House Lawmakers Reintroduce $1.5 Billion Bill for Clean Energy Microgrids
By Ethan Howland
Our readers carefully watched the highs and lows of Congressional attempts to boost microgrids in 2021. The Energy Resilient Communities Act is particularly ambitious, offering $1.5 billion a year in grants for clean energy microgrids.
6
Microgrid Benefits: Eight Ways a Microgrid Will Improve Your Operation … and the World
By Elisa Wood
This article is another of our cornerstone posts — stories that provide readers with the basics about microgrids. Here we look at the range of ways microgrids serve industries, institutions, communities and other customers.
7
By Elisa Wood
The County of Los Angeles offered an eye-opening proposal — a $41 million program that includes a regional microgrid agency to serve an area that encompasses roughly half of California’s population. As of this writing, the California Public Utilities Commission had not approved the program, but supporters of the concept remain hopeful it will come to be in some form.
8
Are Second Life EV Batteries Game Changers for Microgrid Owners and the Grid
By Lisa Cohn
Second life electric vehicle batteries can lower costs and provide environmental benefits to microgrid owners and utilities. McKinsey estimates that compared to new batteries, second life batteries are 30% to 70% less expensive. But getting them up and running at a reasonable cost isn’t always easy.
9
What FERC Order 2222-A Means for Microgrids and Energy Democracy
By Lisa Cohn
Articles about FERC Orders 2222 and 2222-A attract strong readership because the federal initiative is designed to remove significant barriers to distributed energy resources in wholesale markets and may unlock new revenue streams for microgrids. Part of the punch behind Orders 2222 and 2222-A is that together they will establish market participation models for the aggregation of resources. Those resources include generators, energy storage, electric vehicles, energy efficiency and other energy systems common in microgrids.
10
How Microgrids Will Change the Way Electricity Is Made, Delivered and Used
By Ethan Howland
Microgrids — managed by sophisticated software — are part of a shift toward on-site power production, driven by businesses and organizations that want to control their own energy destiny. This article looks at an intriguing conversation on the topic that took place at our Microgrid 2021 conference. The speakers were Mike Byrnes of Veolia; Steve Pullins of AlphaStruxure; Ravi Pradhan of Siemens; Clark Wiedetz of GreenStruxure; and Marshall Worth of PowerSecure. Watch this lively panel discussion here.
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