Page 12 - Microgrid Knowledge News Today

Kentucky has 558 ideal sites for nanogrids and a dozen potential sites for regional community microgrids, according to a state study that aims to spur microgrid development at critical facilities in response to the growing threat of power outages. The Kentucky Regional Microgrids for Resilience Study was designed to help utilities, local and state governments, and industry stakeholders move from planning microgrids to building them. “We continue our efforts to respond to the rapidly changing ...

When community members participate in renewable energy planning and financing — especially with community microgrids or community solar — they facilitate the move to renewable energy, said the co-author of a new study on shared decision making from the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis. Shutterstock.com The study, “Public Attitudes, Co-production and Polycentric Governance in Energy Policy,” focused on projects in two towns in Austria that aim to utilize high levels of...

Digital power yields numerous benefits in the electrical world, providing real-time information and advantages for power system design, intelligent energy storage, fast charging programs, smart cities and reliability. Tanuj Khandelwal, CTO of ETAP, explains that the move to digital power will be one of the main drivers pushing the microgrid industry forward. This interview, conducted  by Elisa Wood, editor-in-chief of Microgrid Knowledge, is part of the Microgrid 2021 Executive Interview Serie...

An unusual group of partners from the Republic of Korea and Hawaii are conducting microgrid research at a saltwater pumping facility in Hawaii, with a goal of using artificial intelligence (AI) to help boost the efficiency of the existing power system by 30% when it is off-grid because of utility outages. Pump station photo courtesy NELHA The project, expected to be completed by mid-2022, will benefit both Hawaii and the Republic of Korea through the development of green energy technologies. Tw...

By JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock.com The effort, announced April 20, is part of the DOE’s Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), which was unveiled late last year. Through the program, the DOE provides resources and on-the-ground support for remote and island communities that want to transform their energy systems and lower their vulnerability to energy disruptions. Remote and island communities are often heavily affected by climate change, according to the DOE’s National Ren...

Renewable energy microgrids are gaining popularity with industries, institutions, communities and even residential consumers because they provide clean energy, potential cost savings and reliable power. In addition, there are a number of tax incentives available, systems are easily scalable, and they can be built faster and are more environmentally friendly than a traditional power plant — all factors that make them an attractive solution to your power needs. But renewable energy microgrids c...

Photo by Rocky Grimes/Shutterstock.com On April 9, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy introduced the Alaska Energy Independence Act (SB 123, HB 170) to spur sustainable energy development by issuing loans for qualified clean energy projects. Twenty states have clean energy financing programs, also called green banks. Typically, green banks augment private investments in low-carbon, climate-resilient infrastructure. The bill creates the Alaska Energy Independence Fund, which would receive an initial $10...

By TonelloPhotography/ Shutterstock.com As part of the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), the study is being done in Golden, Colorado, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Phase two of the research is designed to examine the potential of vanadium flow batteries in military microgrids. The experiment will test the validity of the battery’s potential to decrease reliance on diesel fuels and lower the cost of critical load support through hardware in ...

Minigrids Act as the Seed of Change in Cameroon Cameroon Ministry of Water Resources and Energy visits minigrid in Sabongari, Cameroon. Photo credit: REIc Minigrids Act as the Seed of Change in Cameroon April 8, 2021 Microgrid Knowledge | In the Central African country of Cameroon, electricity is scarce outside of major cities. But that may soon change because of a public-private partnership that has a set goal of installing 750 minigrids. The effort is about more than lighting up the 11,000 vi...

A sweeping climate bill introduced in the US House of Representatives this week includes billions in microgrid funding. By ParabolStudio/Shutterstock.com The CLEAN Future Act authorizes $565 billion in spending to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, with an interim target of reducing carbon pollution by 50% from 2005 levels by the end of this decade. The bill, H.R. 1512, introduced March 2, requires utilities to sell increasing amounts of carbon-free electricity until the power se...