Heard of Microgrids? They’ll Soon Be More Common – And They’re Green!
Editor’s Note: One of the arguments frequently raised against renewable energy is that it’s not available 24/7 – and it’s true that the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow all the time. Battery storage is improving all the time – but microgrids also offer an innovative way of overcoming the storage problem. This interesting Guest Post by Katrina Manning shows why microgrids are becoming increasingly popular.
August 2017
In this day and age where we are faced with climate change and forced to think of ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy has gained momentum as an alternative to non-renewables such as oil, gas and coal.
In more recent years, solar has become a popular way to power homes and buildings. Photovoltaic technology has advanced and made solar panels more affordable and feasible to install.
Solar power not only has the capacity to power an individual home, but there is often an excess of energy generated that can be sold back to the grid.
But to go one step beyond this, homeowners are now spearheading the idea of sharing this excess energy with other homes and businesses within their community and starting microgrids of their own.
Read on to find out how this can work.
Solar Sharing
Researchers from the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom have looked into ways of sharing excess solar energy rather than exporting it to the national grid.
According to Mahmoud Dhimish, one of the biggest challenges with solar sharing is the unpredictability of photovoltaic system outputs and the difficulty of matching the energy demand and supply for consumers.
But the research team developed a new solar detection technology that would allow homeowners to maintain and monitor the efficiency of their solar panels.
With this ‘cloud’ technology, houses and businesses would be able to connect to one another and manage the electricity demands of the community to ensure each house would receive enough power for its daily needs.
How You Can Solar Share
Even before this technology hits the ground running, you can already start community solar sharing:-
- Get together with local businesses and homeowners to buy solar panels as a group. You’ll be able to get them at a discounted bulk rate.
- Purchase electricity from renewable energy generation plants or online solar interment platforms.
Brooklyn Microgrid Project
Another innovative idea to share renewable energies within communities is being spearheaded by LO3 Energy, a New York-based start-up. They have been developing software that provides secure online transactions for sharing renewable energy. So if a homeowner or business has excess stored energy, they could sell it to others.
LO3 Energy also started the Brooklyn Microgrid project which allows residents in communities such Park Slope, Gowanus, and Boerum Hill to directly trade power. Homes that are powered with solar panels can sell their excess energy to homes and businesses within the community, instead of exporting it to the national grid.
After a successful trial in April 2016, 50 households in Brooklyn have started producing energy – and the company has had hundreds of consumers sign up to tap into this local source of electricity.
The Brooklyn Microgrid project is still in its early stages of development, but power-trading in Brooklyn should soon be functioning successfully.
Most standard microgrids operate independently of the country’s central grid – but interestingly, the Brooklyn Microgrid will still be hooked up to the national grid. Although the community will not have full autonomy, they will still have an energy trading platform that allows local homeowners and businesses to share power.
(And of course, communities working together and sharing resources is great for the environment – it’s really green and ecofriendly, as well as fostering better neighborly relationships!).
The Growth of the Microgrid
It’s not always quick and easy to set up a new microgrid. The start-up costs are high, and in some countries there are many legislative hoops to maneuver.
Even so, microgrids have the capacity to monitor and maintain the energy supply and demand of communities.
In the United States there are already 160 established microgrids, and according to a GTM Research report, the microgrid market is expected to grow 116% by 2020.
Microgrids Provide Energy Security
Having microgrids that are autonomous from the national grid makes communities more energy-secure because they will not be affected by power outages from the central grid.
The U.S. electric grid, for example, cannot always support the high energy demands of the country.
Brian Millar from Colorado’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, says that it can take a long time for centralized grids to come back online once they go down. Natural disasters like hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, also pose a threat to the country’s central grid because sections of it can be blacked out for days.
The U.S. Department of Energy has found that power outages cost the country between $18 and $33 billion every year, and that extreme weather is the top cause.
To help address this problem, Miller believes that “if we have microgrids, the microgrids can survive on their own during the time that the workers are fixing the problem, and all in all, it improves quality of life”.
Economic Benefits
Microgrids can also help boost local economies.
According to Michael Stadler, a microgrid scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, microgrid technologies can create jobs for electrical engineers, construction companies and for anyone who wants to get more involved in the local energy industry.
Conclusion
Local communities are the best way forward for the environment – and energy independence from the national grid is a concept espoused by many.
With microgrids and renewable energy gaining momentum, communities are well on their way to creating a more sustainable future with their energy needs.
References:
- https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-07-28/new-way-go-local-buy-solar-energy-your-neighbors
- https://www.rdmag.com/article/2017/07/tech-enables-solar-power-be-shared-neighbors-cutting-costs
- http://scienceline.org/2017/07/can-borrow-cup-electricity/
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What do you think about microgrids? Do you know of any operating near you? Let me know in the comments below.
Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download your free green living handbook “Live Well, Live Green” here.
Related:
- How to create natural breezeways in your home
- Get rid of all the toxic products in your life (you’ll be shocked at where they hide!). It’s easy – see how here!
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