Solar for Healthcare Webinar

14 months ago, many spotlights were turned towards the African healthcare sector and its terrible lack of electrification. This webinar on August 18th intends to highlight several initiatives and solutions which can significantly improve the access to electricity for the healthcare sector in Africa and deserve a lot more attention.

Message from the Founder

This month’s newsletter features articles that highlight the expanding applications for hybrid power systems. Our article on Kilowatts for Humanities solar kiosks in Zambia is one example of the use of microgrids to provide electricity in remote areas.

KiloWatts for Humanity Builds Solar Kiosks in Zambia – Modeled by UL’s HOMER Pro

solar kiosk lit up at duskSolar kiosk at sunset. (c) Chikuni Radio. Courtesy Kilowatts for Humanity.

Kilowatts for Humanity (KWH) dedicates itself to bringing economic and social benefits to remote Zambian villages — as well as outlying communities in other developing countries — via rural electrification projects. Most of these projects consist of solar kiosks.

Solar Carports: Efficient Use of Space and Storage Integration Brings RE Benefits

solar carport at an office building

During prolonged power outages, this Greeley, Colorado car dealership remained operational. The resilience is due to the renewable grid-tied solar plus storage hybrid power system installed at Ehrlich Toyota — a 368 kW custom solar carport and 228 kWh battery and controls system designed and built by IPOWER Alliance and L4 Construction and modeled by Ageto Energy. Read the story for details.

Welcoming Our New Industry Member — Think Microgrid

We are excited to announce Think Microgrid as our latest HOMER Energy by UL industry member. Think Microgrid is a new coalition formed to help pave the way to the clean energy transition in the U.S. The alliance, which includes more than a dozen leading companies in the microgrid field, represents the industry at the state and federal levels. The organization provides a united voice to support the exploding microgrid sector in critical policy, legislative and regulatory discussions.

Latam Future Energy PV-Hydrogen & Storage Virtual

Latam Future Energy, an alliance between Invest in Latam and Energía Estratégica, presents an exclusive meeting dedicated to photovoltaic, storage and green hydrogen technologies, key factors for those interested in the future of renewable energy and new trends in the sector from July 7-8, 2021.

2020 Proves Exceptional for Renewable Energy, and Outlook Shines for 2021-22

Wind Turbine sin sunset, china.

With its mission of advancing energy security, tracking clean energy growth, collecting information and offering training worldwide, the International Energy Agency (IEA)organization released its Renewable Energy Market Update 2021 (IEA [2021], Renewable Energy Market Update 2021, IEA, Paris) last month. The report highlighted global progress in renewable energy last year and made data-based predictions for this year and next.

Message from the Founder

The June 2021 issue of the Microgrid News newsletter highlights the evolution of the microgrid market. When HOMER Software was created, the focus was primarily on developing country applications like the Nigerian installation described in “Energy Access Brings Improved Quality of Life and Boosts Local Economies.” This is still a critical market, but no longer the only one.

Energy Access Brings Improved Quality of Life and Boosts Local Economies

rooftop solar on school deer lake canadaImage courtesy of Canadian Solar

Millions of people live in communities with no access to basic electricity. Instead, they fuel cooking, heating and lighting with polluting and unhealthy fuel sources like diesel generators, biomass fuel and trees. For these reasons, electrification is a critical goal. But what impact does it have? Join us in this look at the impact of microgrids on two communities

Challenges and Opportunities in Building a Wind Service Organization Today

As renewable energy moves more and more into the spot, wind turbines are also moving into the spotlight. The Texas freeze of 2021 showcased the fact that prior to the freeze, one third of all US wind turbines needed servicing. The number is now higher with many requiring complete overhauls and repairs. Add the fact that there is a shortage of service technicians in the US to handle even a small portion of the demand and you get the perfect storm for great opportunities. Join HOMER Energy by UL Founder, Dr. Peter Lilienthal, alongside other energy experts on June 17th, 2021 at 2 PM EDT for this exclusive webinar.

PG&E Community Microgrid Enablement Program Helps Communities Keep the Lights on During Emergencies

California gas and electric utility provider Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is taking a proactive step forward in the move to grid resiliency. In April, as a California Congressman introduced the House MICROGRID act, the utility announced the PG&E Community Microgrid Enablement Program (CMEP), its project for permanent, multi-customer microgrids. These microgrids will focus on “disadvantaged” areas and critical facilities.

Message from the Founder

Change keeps accelerating in the energy world, especially for microgrids. We are now reviewing dozens of submissions to our annual conference and hoping you all can attend. The conference will be virtual again this year, making it easy to get to from anywhere in the world. Sponsorship packages also are now available, which offers a powerful way to get in front of and be seen as a leader in the global microgrid community.

Proposed Federal MICROGRID Act (Em)powers Local Governments, Nonprofits

Congressman Panetta’s bill — the Making Imperiled Communities Resistant to Outages with Generation that is Resilient, Islandable, and Distributed (MICROGRID) Act – would provide an incentive toward installing and deploying microgrids to provide backup power during emergencies. The need for these microgrids is clear, and through this legislation, the federal government would enable communities and to take climate-related action.

PG&E and BoxPower Mitigate Wildfire Risk with Remote Hybrid Power Systems

Rather than rebuild distribution lines damaged by fire, PG&E is working with BoxPower to install a renewables-based microgrid to provide clean, resilient power for customers in Briceburg, California. The solar + storage system is the first of 20 proposed for development through PG&E’s new Remote Grid Initiative.

Message from the Founder

This month’s newsletter reinforces my belief that we really are at an inflection point in the transition to clean energy. The U.S. is making a 180-degree turn toward aggressively promoting clean energy as described in “U.S. Bill to Create a Cleaner Energy Future.“ Though the bill may change through the legislative process, it is clearly a good sign for hybrid power, renewables and microgrids that this effort is taking place at the highest levels.

Microgrid 2021 Conference: The World Awakens to Microgrids

Interested in microgrids? We’d like to invite you to a unique opportunity to learn about the value of microgrids through a free virtual conference, held May 11 – June 3, 2021. Featuring more than 50 leading energy experts and 16 sessions, this virtual event aims to educate businesses, institutions, communities and developers worldwide about this increasingly sought-after technology. Learn about the reliability, financial and sustainability benefits that microgrids can offer your business — and society as a whole.

Nigerian Minigrid Reveals Transformative Power of Access to Clean Energy

The 15 kWp solar array completed for the project’s first phase | All images courtesy of Ashipa Electric

When Ashipa Electric installed a solar + storage-based mini-grid in an agrarian community in Nigeria, team leaders expected the system to lower power costs and reduce carbon emissions. But by offering residents access to clean, cost-effective energy, the hybrid system also revitalized the economy, elevated quality of life, and produced environmental benefits beyond all expectations.