My excellent editor at Solar Energy asked me to create an explainer on microgrids. Then he broke it into three informative chunks, which hopefully will inspire some change.
Turn on, read up, plug in.
How Microgrids Offer a Cleaner, More Resilient Electrical Grid
Microgrids are evolving into cleantech solutions fueled by solar and wind. They’re more modular and resilient than last century’s sprawling macrogrids. More seriously, they are essential defenses for a dawning age of distributed generation capable of surviving the sudden, expensive superstorms of climate change.
The People and Places Making Microgrids Work
“The main thing that makes something a microgrid is its ability to island. If you want any renewables to keep operating when the grid goes down, you need a microgrid. An island of power.”
The Future of Microgrids
Unlike bridges to former futures, our resilient, decentralized energy tomorrow isn’t likely to be overlorded by a few major players. Distributed generation depends on localized power, and its plugged-in citizenry, to properly function. although that process has its own learning curve.