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Distributed Energy Perspectives: Former CO Governor Bill Ritter

At the recent Distributed Energy conference in Denver, CO, keynote speaker Bill Ritter highlighted the actions of state governments, which he says are the leaders in forward-thinking clean energy policy. Transportation should be the next target for reducing carbon emissions, Ritter says, and states should be promoting renewable energy for rural Americans:

When Microgrids Mean Hope: Powering a Refugee Settlement in Shimelba, Ethiopia

A microgrid, modeled and designed with HOMER Pro, is bringing power to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. Most of the 6,000 refugees in the Shimelba camp come from Eritrea, where they have fled multiple crimes against humanity. Living in a refugee camp is an enormous hardship, but now the microgrid is supporting improved commerce, construction, agriculture, and most importantly, hope:

What is the value of resilience?

Microgrids and grid-tied distributed energy investments can improve resilience for electricity customers – even entire communities. But so far, determining the value of that resilience has proven to be elusive. At the recent Distributed Energy Conference in Denver, speakers discussed ways to view the value of resilience in both economic and human terms:

Microgrids for Maluku, Indonesia: Powering remote island communities with renewables

On behalf of the New Zealand-Maluku Access to Renewable Energy Support (NZMATES) program Mauricio Solano-Peralta has been working throughout Maluku Province, Indonesia, to restore and establish dozens of microgrids. HOMER Pro is a critical tool for bringing electricity to some of the fishing and farming villages that dot the thousands of islands that make up Maluku Province:

Distributed Energy Development is Progressing in the Caribbean

The Caribbean is one of the world’s fastest growing markets for renewable energy – partly because of the need for resilience in the face of increasingly destructive storms. HOMER Energy CEO Dr. Peter Lilienthal and VP of Business Development Andy Kruse recently attended two important conferences that focus on Caribbean distributed energy. They noted many new, high-quality projects underway, and they share their observations with us:

Maui Brewing Company Uses HOMER Pro to Achieve Grid Independence and Work Towards 100% Renewable Status

Maui Brewing Company, Hawaii’s largest craft brewery, is achieving grid independence and working towards 100% renewable operation with a new microgrid that was modeled using HOMER Pro. Featuring a massive PV array (close to a MW), Tesla batteries and Cummins generators that run on biodiesel, the microgrid should save $300,000 per year, cutting the company’s energy costs in half:

7th Annual HOMER International Microgrid Conference: Thank you!

Each year I feel a tremendous sense of excitement while hosting the HOMER International Microgrid Conference. This year’s event was particularly exhilarating and allowed me to reflect on how grateful I am to be a member of the microgrid community. I’d like to thank the colleagues who traveled from afar to participate and share some highlights of the conference with you:

Grid-tied Distributed Energy Systems for Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Customers

Worldwide, commercial and industrial microgrid deployments are increasing at a rapid rate. Incorporating more renewable energy, these C&I investments are cutting operational costs for their owners. Christopher Wiacek, Manager, Technical Business Development at Enel X, spoke recently at the HOMER International Energy Conference. He explained why multi-DER microgrids are so beneficial for the C&I sector:

Selecting a Smart Microgrid Controller

Smart controllers ensure reliable, safe, and efficient microgrid power generation and distribution by helping coordinate and optimize system functions with intelligent capabilities. We spoke with Petra Píclová of ComAp, who will be presenting on this topic at the HOMER International Microgrid Conference, October 7-9 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Join us to hear Petra and other professionals share their microgrid experience:

New Updates to HOMER Grid Software Offer Enhanced Modeling for Distributed Energy Systems

The HOMER Grid software, a tool for pre-feasibility analysis of grid-tied distributed energy systems, has three new features that will make it an even more powerful and efficient tool. Released this week, HOMER Grid 1.6 provides for close integration with financial modeling tools, easy creation of custom utility tariffs and improved ways to determine the optimal size of PV inverters:

Inflection Points: The Dawn of a New Microgrid-Powered Era

At nightfall on December 20, 1880, twenty-three arc lights switched on in New York, casting the cityscape in a blue-tinted glow. In that moment, Broadway Street became one of the first thoroughfares in America to be lit by electricity. It’s hard to imagine that an act as small as passing a current through a filament could forever alter every aspect of culture, industry, and landscape. But as soon as electric lights switched on, communities were connected as homes and businesses became part of an energy network. While the electric light bulb may have inspired one age of illumination, today our world is poised once again to experience an electron-inspired transformation: the global microgrid revolution:

Empowering Africa

Approximately one billion people around the world lack access to electricity, according to the World Bank, and more than half of those one billion people live in Africa. This has serious implications for global health, education, food security, gender equality, and global economies. We spoke with John Kidenda, the Director of Software, Analytics and Customer Support at PowerGen Renewable Energy, where he works to provide communities across Africa with sustainable, decentralized power in the form of mini-grids. John was a speaker at the HOMER International Microgrid Conference:

Kibera microgrid helps bring education, clean laundry and employment to Nairobi’s urban poor

In the middle of the Kibera, a large shantytown outside of Nairobi, a mirorgrid is powering a a new community center that provides clean water, showers, laundry facilities, internet service and classrooms for people who live in the surrounding neighborhood. It is also providing newfound hope and job training for the residents, according to Serena Patel, an Energy engineering student at the University of California at Berkeley is working on the microgrid. Serena will be presenting her findings at the HOMER International Microgrid Conference October 7-9 in Cambridge, MA. Learn more:

Artificial Intelligence: Could AI catalyze the microgrid market?


What’s the best way to integrate and optimize high concentrations of distributed energy resources and respond to grid events rapidly? Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) believe that the answer lies in energy systems that can make decisions and respond to events without human intervention—an autonomous microgrid, supported by machine learning:

Microgrid Wisdom After the Wind

Adam Eberwein, Director of Microgrid Operations for EarthSpark International, explains what the company learned about resilient design of microgrids after Hurricane Matthew destroyed so much of Haiti. Adam will be speaking on Resilient Microgrids at the HOMER International Microgrid Conference in Cambridge October 7th:

Demand response programs create new value for distributed generation

As distributed generation continues to grow at rates that outpace predictions, more utilities are turning to demand response programs as a way of managing loads dynamically. Once the realm of large industrial customers and some innovative residential programs, demand response will soon be an option for any owner of distributed generation, particularly if it has energy storage:

Meet The HOMER International Microgrid Conference Keynote Speakers: Peter Asmus

The 7th Annual HOMER International Microgrid Conference (HIMC) will take place on Oct. 7–9, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, MA. Come and connect with a global community of microgrid professionals for the purpose of advancing high-quality, profitable distributed energy systems in off-grid, remote, and grid-tied settings. This key event is a unique forum for industry experts, policymakers and entrepreneurs to come together to share successes, technologies, business models, and develop goals together to drive our industry forward. We’d like to introduce you to one of our exciting keynote speakers, Peter Asmus, who will be providing an overview of the current global microgrid market.

UL Joins the Microgrid Community as a Platinum Sponsor for the HOMER International Microgrid Conference 2019

We are very excited to announce that our friends at Underwriters Laboratories (UL) have joined us as a platinum sponsor for the 7th Annual HOMER International Microgrid Conference. We look forward to having them involved with this important event to discuss the microgrid industry’s bright future and how we can solve some of the challenges facing it today, together.