The trade industry group Think Microgrid has issued a new report ranking states for their support of microgrid technology. The group says that legacy state energy policies must be reformed in order for the microgrid industry to move ahead.
Lili Francklyn
Award-Winning Caribbean Microgrid Incorporates Hurricane Resilience
An award-winning Caribbean microgrid is engineered for extreme weather conditions – such as hurricanes – and corrosion, from proximity to the sea. The Rocky Mountain Institute has published best practices for design of solar arrays in hurricane prone areas.
Engineers Without Borders Germany Uses HOMER® Software to Repower a Village School in Nepal
Engineers Without Borders, Germany, has repowered a remote rural school in Nepal. The goal was to provide lightning protection and a new microgrid for power resilience.
Early Adopters of Microgrid Technology: African Telecommunications Companies Use Renewable Energy to Power Cell Towers and Industry Growth
Microgrids have proven to be crucial for powering cell towers in Africa, where mobile phone technology leapfrogged over landlines in the past few decades. Ugandan engineer Nelson Tashobya explains how he has used HOMER Pro to design renewably-powered microgrids that save on diesel fuel costs and provide reliable power in remote locations.
UL Solutions HOMER® Grid Software’s New Release Empowers Electric Vehicle Charging Station Designers to Maximize Revenue and Return on Investment
A new release of HOMER® Grid, energy modeling software for grid-connected hybrid power projects, enables users to rapidly calculate EV charging revenue. The new capability helps project developers reduce the time and uncertainty of evaluating the ROI of a proposed, site-specific, renewable energy-plus-storage powered charging station, maximize the project’s value, and demonstrate that value to customers. Additional updates include the addition of California’s new Net Energy Metering (NEM) 3.0 tariffs and the ability to import project production data from other design software. Learn more at the webinar on Sept. 28, 2023. Read more for details.
Fort Collins Deploys a Microgrid for Resilience and Carbon Dioxide Reduction at the Northside Aztlan Community Center
The city of Fort Collins, Colorado has deployed a new microgrid on a community center. It will provide resilience in emergencies, aid in carbon reduction and provide grid services to the municipal utility.
Powering the coming surge of electric vehicles with renewable energy
The coming surge of electric vehicles is going to create massive new demand for EV charging stations. And that in turn is going to create greater nationwide demand for electricity and a challenge for the aging U.S. grid. In a new article in Microgrid Knowledge, Peter Lilienthal, creator of the HOMER software, explains how HOMER Grid can help solve that problem:
Hotel Marcel combines historic architecture, energy efficiency and a renewably powered microgrid
The Bauhaus-style Hotel Marcel is a historic architectural landmark in New Haven, Connecticut. Architect Bruce Becker remodeled the building, which had stood empty for two decades, turning it into highly efficient, top-rated Connecticut hotel and adding a microgrid modeled using HOMER Grid.
Think Microgrid Policy Summit: Overcoming Barriers to Microgrid Adoption
In its 2023 Microgrid Policy Summit, the industry coalition Think Microgrid assembled experts from the industry to explore policy hurdles that are slowing microgrid development. Learn more about the issues they reported.
Qatar Desert Farm is Powered by Renewable Energy Microgrid
A HOMER-modeled microgrid powers an off-grid desert farm in Qatar, designed by the Qatar Environment and Energy Institute (QEERI).
German Engineers Without Borders Brings Light and Sanitation to Malawi Schools Using Renewable Energy
Students at the Chambala school in Malawi now have electricity to power lights and electronics. Installed by Engineers Without Borders, Germany, the project also includes education about renewable energy.
Namibia Marble Factory Achieves Substantial Cost Savings by Going Off the Grid
A off-grid marble factory in Namibia — modeled with UL Solutions HOMER® Pro — is costing its owners about half of what they would pay for electricity from the grid. As an added benefit, the renewable energy microgrid is more reliable than grid power.
Oregon National Guard Center Operates a Microgrid to Provide Resilience in Case of Earthquake
The Oregon National Guard is preparing for a major earthquake and tsunami, expected to strike the Pacific Northwest within the next 50 years. A microgrid operating at the Guard’s Nesmith Readiness Center in Dallas will provide resilience and serve as a blueprint for upgrading other facilities.
Remote Microgrids Become a Reality in Isolated Communities and Fire-prone Areas
A remote microgrid is successfully powering Briceburg, California, a small community in a high-risk wildfire region. Built by BoxPower using HOMER software, the hybrid power system is part of PG&E’s remote grid program.
“Resilience Hubs” arise in neighborhoods nationwide to provide renewable power and disaster support during power outages
Many U.S. cities are implementing Resilience Hubs to provide emergency services during extreme weather events and power outages. The city of Detroit, Michigan is building a network of hubs to help residents of neighborhoods that are vulnerable to flooding.
UL Solutions Releases New Features for HOMER® Grid Modeling Software to Enable More Detailed Cost Evaluations for Grid-tied Microgrids
A new release of HOMER Grid, energy modeling software for grid-connected hybrid power projects, enables more detailed cost calculations. HOMER Grid 1.9 also facilitates setting utility tariffs. The new features allow energy professionals to complete more accurate cost and performance evaluations for a specific distributed energy project. Learn more at a Dec 7, 2022 HOMER Grid webinar.
Alaska Researchers Explore Turning Excess Renewable Energy Production into Heat
University of Alaska researchers are developing methods to help evaluate beneficial matches between excess renewable energy production and heat loads in rural Alaskan communities.
Shungnak, Alaska, unveils one of the state’s first microgrids with solar above the Arctic Circle*
The town of Shungnak, Alaska – north of the Arctic Circle – is cutting energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions with a new microgrid. Shungnak is gradually replacing diesel generation with a hybrid power system that includes solar and energy storage.
Call for Stories: New Series on Microgrid and Hybrid Power Projects Announced
The editors of Microgrid News seek projects from HOMER® software customers for the new “Microgrid and Hybrid Power Project Spotlight” series for the online and newsletter editions of Microgrid News — with a distribution of more than 60,000 subscribers.
Electric grid managers eye potential electricity shortages this summer
This summer, agencies that manage U.S. electric grids are preparing for potential power shortfalls because of high temperatures and drought, particularly in the Midwest and Western states. The good news is that more microgrids are coming online. Microgrids can provide additional power capacity and help keep electricity flowing to critical customers during power outages.
Nigerian minigrids improve power reliability and utility revenues for communities “under” the grid
In a “win-win” arrangement, microgrid developer PowerGen is building an “under the grid” minigrid for Toto, Nigeria. It will supply renewable electric power during the day, while the utility powers the town at night.
Think Microgrid Policy Summit to Tackle Barriers to Microgrid Adoption
Join us for the Think Microgrid Policy Summit Tuesday, May 31, co-located with the Microgrid 2022 Conference in Philadelphia. Featuring industry and regulatory experts, the summit will tackle barriers to microgrid development in the U.S.
Microgrid Knowledge Announces Finalists for 2022 Microgrid Greater Good Awards
A key feature of the Microgrid 2022 conference coming up on June 1-2 in Philadelphia is the Microgrid Greater Good awards. Drawn from applicants from around the world, these awards focus on projects that fulfill social and humanitarian needs. Eight finalists are competing for the top prizes, which will be presented by Dr. Peter Lilienthal of HOMER Energy / UL.
De-risking Energy Storage: UL Industry Roundtable and Report
After convening stakeholders to assess the risks presented by energy storage, UL presents highlights of the downloadable report, “How to De-Risk North America’s Energy Storage Project Pipeline.”
2022 Community Power Scorecard Ranks the U.S. States for Support of Clean, Distributed Energy
The Community Power Scorecard, by the Institute for Local Self Reliance, ranks state policies that support local energy projects, consumer choice and distributed renewable energy. Read on to see who the winners – and losers – were for the 2022 Scorecard.
Microgrid Brings Newfound Quiet and Cost Reductions to Canadian Native Community
A microgrid on Harbledown Island in British Columbia is reducing generator noise and air pollution as it delivers lower-cost energy to a Canadian native community. Modeled using UL’s HOMER Pro, it is continuing to perform well after a year of operation:
Massachusetts Town Plans a Microgrid as the State’s First Clean Energy Resilience Solution
The Cape Cod, Massachusetts town of Yarmouth is building the state’s first municipal clean energy resilience microgrid. It will power an emergency operations center in a firehouse during extreme weather events.
Top 2021 Stories Highlight Increasing Momentum Toward Clean Energy
Enabled by decreasing storage costs, microgrids and hybrid power systems accelerated along a path of rapid growth and innovation in 2021. See some of our top stories for the year.
New Research Shows Microgrids Can Create Jobs and Contribute to Economic Growth
Three new reports – one by the new industry trade association Think Microgrid – show how microgrids can create jobs and bolster economic growth:
6th Hybrid Power Systems Workshop: Madeira, Portugal
Join the 6th International Hybrid Power Systems Workshop in Madeira, Portugal from 26-27 April 2022 and submit your abstract now. Design Options, Project Experiences, Microgrids, System Modelling and Simulation, Grid Codes and many other suggestions are among the proposed preferential topics, which you can find on the workshop website.