A MICROGRID FOR MACROGRID UNRELIABILITY

Microgrid sales rise alongside qualms about the power grid

Shan Li, June 17, 2014 (LA Times)

“…[A] growing group of pioneering homeowners, government agencies and businesses [are] using…microgrids to reduce power bills and dependence on utility networks…Spending on microgrid projects in the U.S. is poised to explode to $19.9 billion in 2020 from $4.3 billion last year, according to Navigant Research, in part because of growing concerns about the reliability of the traditional grid…Ebay Inc. invested in the technology for a data center…British mogul Richard Branson plan to set [one up on his island]…Microgrids are alternative ways of generating, storing and using electricity…[and can be small-scale power systems that] operate independently in an emergency…[M]odern microgrids frequently integrate batteries with multiple sources of power, including solar panels, wind turbines and natural gas fuel cells…Interest in microgrids has soared as America's aging infrastructure has fallen behind a rising population…[and] blackouts from storms or other causes have laid bare the grid's vulnerabilities…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet