Global Microgrid Market to Reach $35.1B by 2020 and Other Quick Microgrid News
Another report is touting strong growth in the microgrid market.
The global microgrid market stood at US $9.8 billion in 2013 and is expected to reach US $35.1 billion by 2020, according to a report from Transparency Market Research: “Microgrid Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2014 – 2020.”
The report forecasts a whopping 20.70 percent growth rate between 2014 and 2020.
Economic development and rapid global industrialization will fuel the expected market expansion, according to the report. Other contributors are a growing demand for energy and the increasing use of renewables.
The biggest microgrid users in North America are likely to be defense and military — where reliable energy is always in demand.
The report predicts Europe and Asia Pacific will expand microgrid use in the coming years thanks to energy restructuring and supportive regulatory policies.
Major players will begin focusing on nations that have not yet invested in microgrids, says the report. The players noted are Viridity Energy, Schneider Electric, S&C Electric , Honeywell International, GE Energy Management, ABB, Echelon, ZBB Energy, Toshiba, Pareto Energy, Siemens AG, Chevron, and Power Analytics.
Extensive data about the microgrid market also is available through GTM Research and Navigant Research.
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Sumitomo is set to begin operating the first independent large-scale battery energy storage system for balancing the grid in the Northeastern U.S.
The Willey Battery Utility in Hamilton County, Ohio will provide a reliable, stable supply-demand balancing service for the frequency regulation market within PJM, the largest wholesale grid operator in the U.S.
“As a developer of wind and solar power plants which are unavoidably intermittent generation sources, we think it is quite important that we also contribute to the stabilization of power grids through balancing services,” said Nick Hagiwara, director, Power and Infrastructure Group, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas. “Understanding that energy storage service is indispensable for further penetration of renewable energy, we will keep trying to expand our footprint in the energy-storage space, not only in frequency-regulation but also in other types of storage services.”
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Get the popcorn ready. The documentary series “In America,” hosted by James Earl Jones, will feature an episode on microgrids this month. The episode will include insights from Great Eastern Energy CEO Matthew Lanfear, and Jeff Hogan, energy and sustainability manager at Montefiore Medical Center.
“Educating the public on how to better manage their energy and reduce consumption is our mission, and microgrids provide a great step in the right direction,” Lanfear said. “Through ‘In America’ we hope to not only inform the audience, but also to inspire them to be more responsible energy consumers.”
The episode is set to premiere on January 18, 2016 and will air on CNN, CNN Headline News, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, Fox Business Network, TLC and Discovery through January 31, 2016.
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The Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) recently named microgrids one of 52 technologies that are powering the U.S. economy, modernizing our energy system, and lowering costs for consumers.
The report, “This Is Advanced Energy,” lauds the microgrid’s reliability, cost effectiveness, and ability to incorporate several advanced technologies.
As an example, the report describes the commercial-residential Mesa del Sol development in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The complex microgrid includes a 50-kW solar PV system, an 80-kW fuel cell, a 240-kW natural gas generator, an absorption chiller, and energy storage from lead-acid batteries and cold thermal storage.
The report also cites the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s research facility in White Oak, Maryland. During Superstorm Sandy, the area’s grid failed, but the microgrid kept the facility powered for two-and-a-half days.
The AEE report notes that microgrids can offer a less expensive way for utilities to overcome grid deficiencies than traditional “poles and wires” solutions.
The U.S. is the leader in microgrids, with about 1,500 MW installed and another 1,100 MW planned, according to Navigant Research data cited in the report.
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New York City’s Times Square neighborhood will soon be home to a new clean energy project. Bloom Energy will install a fuel cell system at Morgan Stanley’s global headquarters to provide some 750 kW of 24×7 high quality power to the building — equal to about 6 million kWh of clean electricity each year. The project is expected to be fully operational in late 2016.
Bloom Energy currently has more than 200 projects across the U.S. and in Japan, including ten operating projects in New York State. Its solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology converts fuel into electricity through a high efficiency non-combustion process that generates on-site power, reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses compared to traditionally generated and transmitted electricity.
“The recent Paris Climate Accord calls on government and business leaders to reimagine the way we power the world, and this project in the heart of Manhattan demonstrates how clean distributed energy can be deployed onsite, even in urban areas,” said KR Sridhar, principal co-founder and CEO of Bloom Energy. “We applaud Morgan Stanley for their continued commitment to clean energy as well as Governor Cuomo’s administration and NYSERDA for their work to drive adoption of clean distributed generation.”
Support for this project was provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) through a long-term renewable energy credit contract awarded under the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Main Tier Program to develop renewable energy projects.
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