The energy industry loves its acronyms. One often heard in New York is DSP, which stands for distributed system platform. The three letters hold a lot of meaning for those in the distributed energy business, as a National Grid project in Buffalo has begun to demonstrate. DSP describes a new utility business model that the state is moving … [Read more...]
Navigant sees rise in grid cybersecurity spending Navigant Research is reporting today that it foresees global spending on grid cybersecurity growing from $1.8 billion in 2017 to nearly $3.2 billion in 2026. “The proliferation of the smart grid and Internet of Things (IoT) has led to the deployment of billions of networked sensing devices, … [Read more...]
Massachusetts is coming up short in its five-year grid modernization effort, according to several stakeholder groups who recently filed comments on utility plans being reviewed by state regulators. At issue is the lack of innovation and vision by Massachusetts utilities, which some critics say will impede the state’s ability to accommodate … [Read more...]
New York City’s Urban Future Lab is offering a $25,000 prize for a microgrid startup project or other smart grid solution to a city energy problem. Applications are due August 14. Winners will have chance to pitch their solutions to a jury of investors, market partners, and successful entrepreneurs. The competition also will offer a second … [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...]
Microgrids are typically considered a key element of today's grid modernization. But not so much in recent Massachusetts utility plans. Microgrids are relatively scant -- largely pilot or R&D proposals -- in recent grid modernization plans that Massachusetts utilities filed with the state. The proposals are signficant because they … [Read more...]
What you might have missed this week in microgrid news... Anyone in the Northeast thinking 'If only I had a microgrid' this week? No doubt some were remembering SuperStorm Sandy when a round of thunderstorms and 80 mph winds knocked out power in New England and New York August 4. Outages lasted for days in some areas More than 80,000 … [Read more...]
Yes, the wheels of government turn slowly. But not in New York. Not this time. State regulators called on utilities and other stakeholders late last week to get to work now on microgrids and distributed energy demonstrations, rather than wait for final rules in its Reforming the Energy Vision, or REV process. REV promises to decentralize the … [Read more...]
Microgrids are good, underground microgrids are even better, especially in storm-prone regions. Buried wires are spared the destruction -- and outages -- brought by wind, snow and ice, which often topple over-head wires. Underground microgrids also escape the ire of neighbors who increasingly protest against stringed wire, especially in … [Read more...]
Should New York let utilities both manage and compete in the distributed energy market the state is planning? That's one of the big questions the industry is debating in New York's “Reforming the Energy Vision,” or REV. The Department of Public Service last week confirmed its intent to let utilities act as the distributed grid operator in a … [Read more...]
The relevance of microgrids to the modern power system has become so significant that fewer and fewer players can afford to ignore them. And given performance expectations and the complexity of build, the demand for detailed microgrid simulation and testing facilities is high.
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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