Microgrids Reduce Costs and Power Communities During Natural Disasters
Microgrids, self-contained electrical grids with separate control capacities that can operate independently of the “main” grid – are a key to restructuring the energy industry. Since microgrids are typically powered by renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, they’re able to sustain a community’s electric supply even during times when the main grid is inoperable. For example, when Hurricane Ian hit Florida’s gulf coast in October 2022, 2.1 million people lost power – but the community of Babcock Ranch, which had its own solar-powered microgrid – was able to keep the lights on.
Microgrids not only help provide a reliable, constant electrical supply, but they can also help communities meet their green-living benchmarks and reduce operating and energy costs. In this article, we’re covering six questions that community leaders should ask themselves when trying to determine if a microgrid is an appropriate solution for their area.
Do You Have An Energy Issue?
“Energy issues” typically refer to things like affordability or reliability. If blackouts are frequent in your area, or the rising cost of fossil fuels is negatively impacting your community, you likely have an energy issue that could potentially be remediated with microgrids.
Do You Know What Type of Microgrid You Need?
There are two main types of microgrids that can provide power to local communities – remote microgrids and grid-connected microgrids.
Remote Microgrids
For communities in locations where connecting to the main grid isn’t possible, such as islands or relatively uninhabited areas, remote microgrids create a self-sustaining electrical supply and are typically entirely run on renewable sources with additional battery storage. Calvert Island, Canada is a remote island with some residents and a research station. The introduction of a renewable power system reduced their diesel consumption by 83% and increased reliability.
Grid-connected Microgrids
Grid-connected microgrids are the most common type of microgrid and are exactly what they sound like – microgrids that are connected to the main grid. When connected they can provide a boost to the existing grid and help smooth out peaks in cost or capacity and can also be disconnected from the grid to operate independently in the event of an outage or emergency. Connecting microgrids to the main grid is one of the prime challenges that deployments face since there are various technical and regulatory factors that can impact the connection.
In 2013 the Northeastern United States was battered by Hurricane Sandy. Millions of people were without power, but the Princeton University campus disconnected its microgrid from the main grid and suffered no loss of electricity during the emergency.
Do You Have An Anchor Customer?
Anchor customers for microgrids are typically the customer within the community with the greatest energy needs – whether that’s from a consumption standpoint or the one who would benefit most from the added resiliency, such as a hospital, school district, or large manufacturing campus.
Do Local Regulations Allow, Support, and Provide Opportunity For Microgrids?
It’s probably not surprising that in many communities, there are various rules and regulations surrounding microgrids and energy supplies. However, these regulations are often coupled with incentives – especially as they relate to renewable energy sources – and should all be viewed collectively and given serious consideration during the initial planning phases, rather than as an afterthought.
Do You Have The Space Required for Microgrid Components?
In order to determine how much physical space your microgrid will need to support the renewable energy infrastructure (ie: solar panels and/or wind turbines), you’ll first need to determine how many homes or businesses the microgrid will be supporting and if any of them are massive consumers of energy such as hospitals, government facilities, and school districts.
You’ll also need to take into consideration the average daily usage of your grid – if it’s mostly supporting residential areas, then you can assume that there will be periodic energy usage throughout the day, whereas a mostly commercial area or a microgrid intended to supply a 24/7 environment – such as a hospital – will have near-constant usage.
Once you are able to answer these questions, you’ll be able to determine how large the infrastructure must be and what type of renewable energy source is best suited to the project. Areas by the coast, for example, may benefit from a wind source, while areas “down south” or on the plains may find solar to be the best option.
The Gull Bay First Nation in Canada, which is roughly 200 kilometers away from the nearest urban area of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and on the coast of Lake Nipigon installed a microgrid to support 100 residences that required 1,000 ground-mounted solar panels.
Do You Have Community Support?
In general, there are many ways to engage stakeholders in microgrid proposals and projects. Some of the earliest stakeholders are typically the largest users of energy in the area (hospitals, schools, etc.) and others who may be impacted by the installation and operation of the grid. Local or regional energy utilities, public or private landowners, and financers or shareholders are also typically involved if a cooperative approach is taken.
If your local community doesn’t already have a system in place for handling citizen-proposed projects, hosting a meeting or town hall with microgrid experts and local business leaders to discuss the project may be a viable first step in gaining community support. Additionally, grassroots campaigns focused on “climate justice” (a movement that seeks change to existing power structures to ensure that conversations and changes around climate are centered on those most impacted) – such as using social media and community newsletters – can help drum up support as well.
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