Microgrid News Highlights — December 8, 2016
NYCEEC Brings the Battery to Brooklyn, Financing Energy Storage for a Low-Income Housing Microgrid
The New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation has made a 10-year project loan of more than $1 million to the energy storage company Demand Energy, bringing large-scale battery storage technology to a privately owned low-income housing development in Brooklyn, NY. Demand Energy’s lithium-ion battery system will be used to store power generated onsite by the Marcus Garvey housing complex’s solar panels and fuel cell systems—or lower-cost off-peak Con Edison power—dramatically reducing power demand when electricity is at its highest cost. It will be the first battery storage microgrid installation at a low-income property in greater New York.
Could Siemens’ Blockchain-Based Microgrid Project Foster an Energy-Sharing Economy?
Siemens says it sees “tremendous opportunities” for the use of blockchain technology in microgrid applications. The company and New York-based startup LO3 Energy have announced that they are partnering up to make the energy-sharing economy a reality through the development of microgrids that use blockchain technology to enable local energy trading. The microgrid project will be based in Brooklyn, and allow rooftop photovoltaic systems to feed excess electricity back to the local grid and receive payments from purchasers.
Microgrids in a Customer Choice World
Anne Pramaggiore, president and CEO of ComEd, said the Chicago-based utility plans to move to microgrids. ComEd’s next steps for changing the power grid structure include building five microgrids that can connect or disconnect from the main power grid to keep power available in the event of severe weather or emergencies, Pramaggiore said. The new model envisioned by energy executives involves shifting their business model from what Pramaggiore called “the pipeline business of the 20th century” that pushed products out from the top-down to platforms that create value by creating interactions.
Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria Reveals Way Forward
The Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) officials stated that Nigeria will follow in South Africa’s REIPPPP in the next round of award of power purchase agreements (PPAs) for solar independent power producers (IPPs) through a competitive procurement/tender process. In October, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced its approval for the draft microgrid policy, which is currently undergoing reviews by stakeholders.
More microgrid news highlights:
Uganda’s Government Plans for More Mini Power Dams
Microgrid Advocates Explain Technology’s Advantages to Congressional Leaders
New Jersey Utility Regulators Advance Microgrid Initiative
Microgrids Should Be a Key Element in Power Grid Modernization
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