Interest is rising in clean energy microgrids, especially within healthcare, higher education, government and business. What’s the attraction? All microgrids offer greater electric reliability. But the clean energy microgrid does more. It also reduces carbon emissions and helps organizations reach sustainability goals—an achievement increasingly … [Read more...]
Colleges and universities were among the first to adopt microgrid technology in North America. Initially they did so to ensure electric reliability on a grid that had yet to fully develop. Today, a new generation of campus microgrid development is underway, as it becomes clear the technology solves other problems unique to our … [Read more...]
Smarter energy management delivers reliability, efficiency and cost savings. From the time when our alarm goes off in the morning to when we turn the lights off at night, we use electrical power. In terms of magnitude, each person in the U.S. spends around $3,052 on electricity (2012 figures). With a population of about 314 million people at the … [Read more...]
According to a recent Microgrid Knowledge study power resiliency is one of the top 3 reasons organizations and communities install a microgrid. Factors such as increasing occurrences of natural disasters, the ongoing threat of cyber attacks and growing awareness of inadequate, outdated or failing grid infrastructure all drive microgrid adoption. … [Read more...]
This paper describes how to design and operate a microgrid by examining a microgrid installed for the US Department of Defense at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The microgrid is composed of two natural gas generators, a battery energy storage inverter, renewables, and a static switch. Design considerations for this retrofit application with a high … [Read more...]
The senior population is on a path to double in the U.S, and even triple in Europe. This creates pressure to expand hospitals, healthcare networks, assisted living facilities, adult day care and nursing homes. Thus the reason for learning more about the value of Healthcare Microgrids. Add advances in medical technology, which result in new … [Read more...]
Fuel cell microgrids are on the rise, the result of a natural pairing of two technologies-fuel cells and microgrids- that serve a mutual mission. Together, they meet today’s demand for energy that is cost-competitive, highly reliable, clean, quiet, contained, modular, scalable and community-friendly. Once futuristic, both technologies find … [Read more...]
Policy makers are increasingly focused on strategies to decentralize the electricity grid. We analyze the business model for one mode of decentralization-microgrids-and quantify the economics for self-supply of electricity and thermal energy and explicitly resolve technological as well as policy variables. We offer a tool, based on the Distributed … [Read more...]
Reciprocating engine generators are becoming increasingly important to help solve three contemporary energy problems. The first problem occurs in developed areas like North America, where electric reliability is crucial as the economy grows ever more Internet-based. The second problem can be found in remote regions of the world, where no … [Read more...]
The UC San Diego microgrid has over 33 megawatts of installed onsite generation, including gas-turbine cogeneration and storage, solar, fuel cell, steam, and diesel. The onsite generation is only enough to support critical loads. To cover the rest of their load demand, the university purchases additional electric power from SDG&E. The idea … [Read more...]
Commercial customers paying demand charges and time-of-use rates should seriously consider an investment in solar plus storage, a common technology used in microgrids. RMI’s Ryan Shea and Madeline Tyson describe the the organizations recent research on costs.
Microgrids are becoming more and more prevalent for good reason. They are a modern approach to solving multiple energy challenges. But a microgrid’s unique nature can trip up even the most advanced engineers and utility staff. This handbook from S&C Electric is designed to help determine whether a microgrid is the best solution for you and to prepare your team if you decide to pursue building one.
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