Microgrids Provide Greener, More Reliable & Resilient Power Source

With extreme weather events driven by climate change, the electricity grid faces a “triple challenge”—it needs to be greener, more reliable and more resilient. Use of micogrids can be the solution to this challenge.

A microgrid is a small, free-standing combination of power sources, users and the wires to connect them. In the US, microgrids are typically embedded within the larger grid. At their simplest, microgrids provide a source of power to users if the grid goes down. In that context, a microgrid can separate itself from the larger grid and provide backup power until the main grid comes back on.

An advanced microgrid provides backup power and also makes the overall grid more reliable and greener. A triple-threat microgrid is one that is based on renewable energy, uses on-site energy storage systems to make that renewable energy available when needed, and has some other cleaner power source that can provide on-site generation when the sun in not shining.

Interest in microgrids is growing fast as utilities increasingly see that a well-designed microgrid “can provide grid services — storing energy when it’s cheap, providing energy when it’s expensive, serving as backup capacity, or smoothing out frequency and voltage fluctuations.”

To date, due to a microgrid’s complexity and cost, the military has been the only steady customer. Fortunately, the growth of firms like RENEW, that can fund, own and operate a microgrid, has unlocked this market for commercial buildings. In fact, the number of microgrids nationwide is slated to grow to 7.1GW over the next five years (up from about 4 GW).

RENEW is proud to be working on its first next generation microgrid at a Massachusetts hospital. Our project will include a solar array and combined heat and power system coupled with an on-site storage system. Please contact us if you’d like to learn more.