Hybrid Storage Systems to Power-Charge Energy Storage Growth

Which markets are best suited for battery storage and storage hybrids? Which regulations and incentives support or impede the implementation of standalone storage and battery hybrids? HOMER Energy’s John Glassmire, Steffi Klawiter, and Dhiwaakar Rajasekaran — along with the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA) — answer these questions and provide key storage hybrid market insights in a groundbreaking new white paper.

Comet ME’s Jubbet a-Dhib Microgrid — a HOMER Pro Case Study [UPDATED with Confiscation & Return, Reinstallation News]

Jubbet a-Dhib microgridThe returned solar panels are unloaded in Jubbet a-Dhib, a village in the West Bank, Palestine.

Ice Cream, Appliances, and Autonomy: Rural Electrification Project Lights West Bank Village (Read about a tragic update followed by positive outcome for Jubbet a-Dhib microgrid in updates below […]

From Maria to Microgrids: Why Puerto Rico’s Energy Future Should Be Built on Distributed Energy

Concrete power line poles lie on a highway after Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria.

Puerto Rico has a very long and politicized electrical grid history, and politics will play a big role in how the island territory will recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria, a category 4 storm that hit the island on September 20, 2017. Puerto Rico, barely recovering from Hurricane Irma, was devastated by Maria, a storm so large and so direct that its eye alone literally covered the entire island. The storm destroyed more than three-fourths of the island’s power infrastructure, leaving Puerto Rico’s 3.5 million residents without power. Current estimates are that most of the country won’t be back on-grid for months.

HOMER’s HIMC2017 Highlights: Presentations, Panels, Training, and Tours

On Monday, September 18, HIMC2017 kicked off in Denver with a welcome from HOMER Energy CEO Dr. Peter Lillienthal.

We’re just catching up from HOMER Energy‘s HOMER International Microgrid Conference (HIMC2017), which took place this week near our home base, in Denver, Colorado. Approximately 200 attendees participated […]

Lessons from Irma and Harvey: Time for Transition to Resilient Renewable-Energy Microgrids

hurricane grid failure

Our out-of-date fossil-fuel-based infrastructure is failing a world where climate change is bringing more frequent, more extreme, more intense weather to the planet. And the lesson, if we are smart enough to learn it, is that as long as we’re dependent on fossil fuels, these weather events and other related disasters will wreak long-lasting havoc on human lives, the economy, and on the environment.

How to Reduce Energy Costs with Peak Shaving (HOMER Energy at Solar Power International)

For grid-connected commercial and industrial (C&I) customers, the demand charges associated with peaks in consumption during high-use periods can be substantial–up to 70% of the customer’s utility bill–and peak shaving is a great option to reduce these costs. In fact, a just-released National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) survey of U.S. demand charges found that more than 25% of commercial utility customers (or about 5 million customers)  in the U.S. alone would benefit from reducing peak demand consumption.

Move to Distributed, Renewable Power Inevitable, Even in Areas Served by Utilities

grid defection

New distributed energy technologies and business models bring many unprecedented choices in how we create and distribute power. There are three overarching questions, of course: Is this energy model resilient against power outages and grid failure? Is it socially and environmentally responsible? Does it benefit the bottom line?
We are no longer stuck with grid power that doesn’t provide a definitive “Yes!” answer to all three questions. 

IRENA Annual Review 2017 — More Jobs Worldwide in Renewables than in Fossil Fuel

HOMER Pro 3.9

More than 9.8 million people were employed in the renewable energy sector in 2016 — continuing to increase over 2015 numbers — according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Released at the organization’s recent council meeting, the fourth edition Renewable Energy and Jobs –(IRENA) Annual Review 2017 provides the latest employment figures in the renewable energy sector as well as insight into factors affecting the RE labor market. The report presents the status of renewable energy employment, both by technology and in selected countries, over the past year.

Lilienthal Discusses Role of Microgrids in Energy Future of Quebec and Canada

energy future of quebec and canada

On April 25th and 26th, 2017, HOMER Energy participated in the TISED (Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design) microgrid research workshop program, Is There a Role for Microgrids in the Energy Future of Quebec and Canada? HOMER Energy CEO Peter Lilienthal spoke about “Microgrid Activity around the World,” distilling insights from HOMER Energy’s database of 25,000 microgrid projects in 193 countries.

Will Crowdfunding Revolutionize Microgrids?

crowdfunding microgrids

Traditional fmicrogrid crowdfundingunding methods often make it difficult to raise capital for microgrid projects, especially those created to specifically for populations with limited means. Funding from NGOs or government agencies is difficult to secure. Crowdfunding, on the other hand, raises capital through the collective effort of individual small investors, making microgrid and other critical projects a reality all over the world — in fact, the World Bank predicts crowdfunding in the developing world will exceed US$96 billion per year within the next 10 years.

Innovative American Microgrids: from Corporate HQs to Affordable Housing

innovative american microgrids

In the United States, where minimalism and simplicity aren’t always a system’s determining factors, microgrid technology has made possible many groundbreaking projects that could lead to new models for off-grid power generation, distribution, and storage. These include everything from corporate campus microgrids to energy-plus-storage systems for multi-family affordable housing projects.