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Wesleyan University’s microgrid was the first project to receive funds from the state of Connecticut’s microgrid pilot program, which aims to help utility customers harden their infrastructure. Wesleyan, which can generate 3.1 MW, wants to avoid power outages like the one it experienced in 2012 for 77 hours. The university can generate about 99 percent of its power, and can generate all its power without cooling, says Alan Rubacha, director of physical plant at Wesleyan in this podcast. He explains why microgrids are such a great fit for Wesleyan, which started developing the infrastructure in the 1960s.