Jayant Kumar, global digital grids program director at GE Grid Solutions, discusses how community microgrids can change civilization, and why every city planner should keep them top of mind. Elisa Wood, chief editor of Microgrid Knowledge, interviewed Kumar at Microgrid 2017 in Boston. In terms of who the industry needs to be educating on the … [Read more...]
Sometimes events make an argument more strongly than words can. Such was the case in 2017 when disaster after disaster spoke to the vulnerability of the electric grid and the need for microgrids to ensure power supply. First came Hurricane Harvey in late August with wind and water knocking out 10,000 MW of generating capacity in Texas. Then on … [Read more...]
A confluence of innovation, risk taking, and public and private effort has created a five-year, $1.5 billion microgrid market opportunity in Kenya, leading Germany’s TFE Consulting to dub the East African nation, “The World's Microgrid Lab.” International startups are deploying innovative mobile 'pay as you go' (Pay-Go), home solar, and … [Read more...]
Here we profile the Clarkson Avenue Microgrid project, as part of a series of occasional articles about NY Prize winners, based on their detailed applications to the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA). Given the critical nature of their services, hospitals are prime candidates for microgrids. Maintaining a … [Read more...]
When the power fails, refrigerators go out too, jeopardizing our fresh food supply. That’s part of the reason a $137 million microgrid has been proposed in the Hunts Point area of New York City. The South Bronx neighborhood is home to a wholesale food cooperative located at the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center (FDC), which includes the … [Read more...]
General Electric yesterday signaled that it is about to become more visible and aggressive in the increasingly competitive microgrid market. “The technology is ready, and we are now ready to scale up,” said Herve Amosse, GE’s general manager for grid automation, siting an increasingly viable business case for microgrids as renewable energy costs … [Read more...]
How will utilities make money as more customers generate their own electricity? That’s one of the big looming industry questions, and one that National Grid is trying to solve by testing new utility microgrid services. The utility plans to try out the services in Potsdam, New York, where it is installing a microgrid with Clarkson University, … [Read more...]
GE is making a $1 billion play to offer microgrids, energy efficiency, energy storage, electric vehicles and other disruptive energy technologies to large energy users through a new company called Current. Based in Boston, with offices in Silicon Valley, Current is a first-of-its-kind company that brings a range of efficiency-inducing energy … [Read more...]
S&C Electric’s Chris Evanich explores how recent advancements in the industry are fueling progress, and covers the benefits and advantages of advanced microgrids.
A microgrid is a discrete energy system consisting of distributed energy sources (e.g. renewables, conventional, storage) and loads capable of operating in parallel with, or independently from, the main grid. The primary purpose is to ensure reliable, affordable energy security for commercial, industrial and federal government consumers. Benefits that extend to utilities and the community at large include lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lower stress on the transmission and distribution system.
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