Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/tag/microgrids/)
A tiny desert community in southern California has figured out how to power itself with its own microgrid. In urban San Diego, the UCSD campus generates 90 percent of its own electricity. These two experiments in grid innovation point the way towards a more modernized, distributed grid in the future.
With power outages on the rise, and more extreme weather events, the U.S. electrical grid is showing its age and vulnerability. New York state is pushing to upgrade its grid and one project is a statewide competition to develop community microgrids.
The aging United States electricity grid is facing an increasing number of threats, ranging from severe weather events to solar flares to cyber terrorism. It’s something the U.S. military is taking seriously, helping lead the way in the development of smaller and more secure grids – known as microgrids.
The vast majority of all solar systems, regardless of size, are designed to shut down during a utility power outage. Backup batteries or generators help solar-powered homes keep the lights on when grid power goes down. However, these reliability enhancements are beyond the financial reach of most homeowners.
