Utilities tend to rely on diesel-fed mobile generators for emergency service. But CCAs are demonstrating that “low- or no-carbon alternatives to mobile generation sources, such as microgrids and associated storage, are just as reliable, feasible, and cost-effective in many circumstances, and also provide a long-term solution,” said a joint filing by solar energy company Sunrun and Peninsula Clean Energy Authority …
Sustainability and self-sufficiency for rural areas through solar power PV in Alaska. Microgrids allowed and encouraged!
Diesel fuel comes at a high cost for off-road villages that rely on aircraft, boats, and snow machines for transportation. Solar beats diesel on cost, creates new local jobs, and helps to level the socio-economic playing field. Diesel-Killing Alaska Solar Power Company Walks The Green New Deal Walk by Tina Casey, CleanTechnica.com, April 6th, 2019 Solar Power & The Green New …
Thin film PV works in Antarctica, also 16% compound annual growth rate projected for 2018-2022
The increased adoption of microgrids will enhance the use of renewable energy sources, which will drive the thin film solar PV modules market. The solar conversion efficiency of thin film solar technology is far below the gold standard set by silicon-based photovoltaic solar cells. However, thin film costs less to manufacture and it can be applied over a greater range of …
Study Finds Large Potential for Solar and Community Microgrids in San Diego
Study Finds Large Potential for Solar and Community Microgrids in San Diego, Elisa Wood, Microgrid Knowledge, January 15, 2019 San Diego — already one of California’s greenest cities — has the potential to develop 2 GW of solar, opening up new opportunity for community microgrids, according to the Clean Coalition. The non-profit organization recently completed a study of solar potential in San …
Practical and cost-effective ways to reach renewable energy goals in Colorado
From EnergyFreedomCO.org Many Colorado cities have ambitious energy goals but no practical and cost-effective way to reach them. Over one million Coloradans live in cities with the goal of obtaining 100% of their electricity from renewable energy sources. Many large companies also have aggressive renewable energy goals. This paper reviews six possible solutions that would allow cities and large companies …
Just purchased by Shell: sonnen provides virtual power plant and grid balancing services equivalent to two peaker plants, from home energy storage systems
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/02/15/shell-acquires-sonnen/ excerpt: …The real secret sauce with sonnen is its ability to innovate beyond just the hardware. Building a smart energy storage appliance is neat and noteworthy, but sonnen has demonstrated its ability to innovate beyond the box and has shaken the foundations of the industry with its disruptive innovations in neighborhood energy storage and whole home energy storage that includes smart …
A Microgrid Toolkit to Bring Equity to Power Restoration in Puerto Rico: RMI
January 21, 2019 Megan Kerins and Alejandra Castrodad-Rodríguez of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) describe a new microgrid toolkit to ensure power reliability for those most vulnerable in Puerto Rico. Megan Kerins, RMI When the lights went out September 20, 2017, no one could have foreseen that it would take 130 days to restore power to seven out of ten people in …
California Wildfires Prompt Thinking about Microgrids
California Wildfires and Related Outages Get City Thinking about a Microgrid, Andrew Burger, Microgrid Knowledge, January 24, 2019 The City of Calistoga, California is moving forward with early-stage discussions with the non-profit Clean Coalition for a community microgrid — with risk of wildfires and utility power shutdowns driving talks. Fire in California wine country. California National Guard photo, Oct. 12, 2017 “We …
Community Microgrids
Bringing communities an unparalleled trifecta of economic, environmental, and resilience benefits Learn about our Community Microgrid Initiative What is a Community Microgrid? A Community Microgrid is a coordinated local grid area served by one or more distribution substations and supported by high penetrations of local renewables and other distributed energy resources (DER), such as energy storage and demand response. Community …
How to Keep Africa’s Minigrids from Becoming a Bridge to Nowhere
How to Keep Africa’s Minigrids from Becoming a Bridge to Nowhere, by Elisa Wood in Microgrid Knowledge January 21, 2019 A push is on to bring electricity to the nearly one billion people who lack it worldwide. But if you build it will they come? Apparently not, as some minigrid developers are finding in Sub-Saharan Africa. By Serg64/Shutterstock.com Electricity does little good …