A new Department of Energy (DOE) report, which finds that solar could account for about 40% of the US electricity supply by 2035, offers a vision of the role microgrids would play on an increasingly renewable grid. “We can no longer look at solar technologies in isolation — we must look at how they interact with the full energy system,” Becca … [Read more...]
State Energy Officials, Clean Energy Businesses Urge DOE to Coordinate Resilience Efforts
March 31, 2021 By
State energy officials and clean energy businesses are urging the Department of Energy (DOE) to help coordinate efforts to bolster infrastructure resilience, including microgrid development. “As recent events in Texas and the Midwest have shown once again, one of the most urgent tasks in the energy sector – production, distribution and … [Read more...]
Proposals Due Dec. 4 for US Building Tech Solicitation
November 25, 2020 By
The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages federal property, and the Department of Energy (DOE) are seeking proposals for emerging technologies that can maintain healthy indoor air, increase building resilience and improve onsite photovoltaics in commercial buildings. The GSA and DOE plan to use selected technologies from the … [Read more...]
US GSA Seeks Information on Grid Interactive Technologies for Buildings
October 15, 2019 By
The General Services Administration (GSA) has issued a request for information (RFI) for grid-interactive technologies and services that provide energy savings and load flexibility for buildings. The RFI, issued in coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE), is part of the Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB) research being done … [Read more...]
Walk Through the Last of the Microgrid Development Phases: Implementation
September 3, 2019 By
This guest post is adapted from a new white paper from the DOE's Rima Kasia Oueid that outlines the three microgrid development phases for public critical infrastructure microgrids. This entry explores Phase 3: Implementation. Implementing a microgrid requires significant time, effort and investment. There are many cost variables that must … [Read more...]
Dissecting the Planning Phase of Public Infrastructure Microgrid Development
August 22, 2019 By
This guest post is adapted from a new white paper on microgrid development by the DOE's Rima Kasia Oueid that outlines three development phases for public critical infrastructure microgrids. This entry explores Phase 2: planning. The planning phase involves significant preparation work for the project that begins with broader stakeholder … [Read more...]
U.S. DOE Identifies 200 Potential Microgrid Sites in Puerto Rico
November 27, 2017 By
The U.S. Department of Energy has identified 200 potential microgrid sites in Puerto Rico, as part of an effort to rebuild and modernize the island’s devastated electricity system. Bruce Walker, assistant secretary for DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, described the microgrid sites in a blog he posted last week on … [Read more...]
Department of Energy Gets it Wrong on Energy Reliability
October 17, 2017 By
NRDC's Elizabeth Noll says that the Department of Energy is heading down the wrong path when it comes to energy reliability. Most power outages occur because of transmission and distribution failure. They are not due to lack of power supply. So more coal and nuclear generation will not make the U.S. grid more reliable. There are three key … [Read more...]
$20M for Power Electronics R&D…California’s Microgrid Roadmap…Fort Custer Microgrid
September 13, 2017 By
DOE funds $20M for power electronics, a key part of a microgrid Now that utility-scale solar costs only 6 cents/kWh on average, U.S. energy policymakers will no longer focus as heavily on driving down prices. Instead, they are turning an eye toward using solar to improve grid reliability and resilience -- a key microgrid feature. As part of the … [Read more...]
Protecting Against Cyber Attacks on the Power Grid
November 5, 2015 By
The potential for cyber attacks on the power grid is very real, especially with the advent of electronic devices that send information about assets that supply energy to the grid. In fact, in the first half of 2015, the federal government responded to more than 100 cyber incidents that affected infrastructure in the US. And the energy sector had … [Read more...]
