Eric Dupont, chief development officer at PowerSecure, offers a primer on microgrids for those who are beginning to research the technology and he explains how microgrids give businesses control over their own energy destiny. He recently spoke with Elisa Wood, Microgrid Knowledge editor-in-chief. Watch the full video below.
The signing of the Inflation Reduction Act is huge for the microgrid industry according to Eric Dupont, chief development officer at PowerSecure. He believes the energy tax credits provided by the new law will be a huge shot in the arm for the industry and will increase interest in the technology like never before. He recently sat down with Elisa Wood, editor-in-chief of Microgrid Knowledge, to talk about some of the basics of microgrids and how they can help businesses meet their ESG goals.
One of the biggest benefits of a microgrid is that it’s flexible, which allows businesses to take control of their energy destiny, Dupont says. A microgrid allows them to “pick the right technologies that work for them to meet their business objectives” both today and in the future. Those technologies could include renewables like solar, battery storage, reciprocating engines run by renewable fuels, or some new energy resource like hydrogen.
Microgrids are long-life assets according to Dupont, so future proofing your microgrid design is key. Thanks to the 20-plus year lifecycle of microgrids, decisions made today will have a long term impact on a company’s ability to achieve its future business objectives, a concept Dupont also discussed in a recent Microgrid Perspectives post.
A distributed energy resource today may use natural gas generation, but tomorrow, it may be hydrogen or long duration battery storage, Dupont says. Future proofing your design gives you the ability to plug those new technologies into your microgrid mix “without ending up with abandoned investments or having to come in and completely redo that microgrid.”
During the wide-ranging interview, Dupont also discusses why this future focused approach has been one of the keys to PowerSecure’s success over the years. With over 2,400 microgrids across the US, the company is the largest microgrid development deployer in the country.
Dupont also shares insights around the pros and cons of renewable fuels and why the industry needs to work together to talk about how valuable microgrids can be to a large variety of customers.
Learn more about microgrid basics by viewing Microgrid 2022: Microgrids as Climate Heroes. Videos of each session are available for free as part of the Microgrid Knowledge video library.
