When the power fails, refrigerators go out too, jeopardizing our fresh food supply. That’s part of the reason a $137 million microgrid has been proposed in the Hunts Point area of New York City. The South Bronx neighborhood is home to a wholesale food cooperative located at the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center (FDC), which includes the … [Read more...]
Deloitte: On-site Energy on the Rise with Millennials Leading the Clean Energy Charge & Other Quick Microgrid News
June 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Millennials are increasingly driving electric utilities and businesses to use more clean energy, according to a study from Deloitte. “Resources 2016 Study - Energy Management: Navigating the Headwinds," highlights the increasing influence of millennials aged 21-34, the largest and most dominant consumer group, as a dynamic force behind the shift … [Read more...]
Con Edison Plans Virtual Power Plant in New York from 300 Homes… And Other Quick News
June 14, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Consolidated Edison plans to create a virtual power plant in New York, formed from the largest residential distributed energy storage program in the U.S. This summer the utility will invite 300 New York homeowners to participate in the solar plus storage pilot project, which will integrate more than 1.8 MW of solar and some 1.8 MW (4 MWh) of … [Read more...]
Con Edison Looks to Distributed Energy Resources to Boost Revenue
April 25, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Consolidated Edison plans to test new utility revenue streams by boosting customer use of distributed energy resources, as part of Reforming the Energy Vision (REV). Under Con Edison’s “Connected Homes” REV Demo Project, the utility wants to increase the use of distributed energy resources and energy saving products. The utility will use Opower's … [Read more...]
An Early Warning before Electric Grid Failure
August 2, 2015 By Leave a Comment
It’s hard to conceive of the tension electric grid failure creates in a hospital emergency room. The seconds tick by slowly as the medical team wonders if the back-up generator will kick on. A new program in New York City addresses this problem by giving hospitals and other large energy users a 10-20 minute warning when it looks like the grid is … [Read more...]
Utilities Embracing Disruptive Energy, Non-Wires Alternatives
May 19, 2015 By 3 Comments
Utilities appear to be increasingly embracing disruptive energy as a business opportunity, rather than opposing it -- albeit with some nudging from their regulators. The trend is particularly pronounced in New York, where this week Consolidated Edison -- one of the oldest and largest U.S. utilities -- indicated it intends to lead the way. At the … [Read more...]
New York Stays Firm on Limits to Utility Owning Distributed Energy Resources
April 23, 2015 By 1 Comment
How much should utilities – with their guaranteed rates of return – be allowed to compete in the emerging market for microgrids, energy storage and other distributed energy resources? The question is a big one, especially in restructured states, where utilities years ago were barred from owning power plants so that a competitive market could … [Read more...]
Events that Shaped the Microgrid Industry in 2014
January 2, 2015 By 2 Comments
Here’s a look at events that shaped the microgrid industry in 2014, a pivotal year for the growing sector. The timeline is made up of articles from MicrogridKnowledge.com and EnergyEfficiencyMarkets.com. They show microgrids advancing from planning to action; from a prospect to a trending technology. States crafted polices and offered more … [Read more...]
NY Okays Consolidated Edison Microgrid and Other Unconventional Grid Fixes
December 16, 2014 By 1 Comment
New York regulators have okayed a Consolidated Edison microgrid plan and other non-traditional resources to solve problems typically fixed by more conventional means. The utility, one of the nation’s largest, needs to ward off a 69-MW shortfall brought on by new electric demand in Brooklyn and Queens. The Public Service Commission called the … [Read more...]
Don’t Wait. Get Going Now on Microgrids and Distributed Energy, say NY Regulators
December 15, 2014 By 2 Comments
Yes, the wheels of government turn slowly. But not in New York. Not this time. State regulators called on utilities and other stakeholders late last week to get to work now on microgrids and distributed energy demonstrations, rather than wait for final rules in its Reforming the Energy Vision, or REV process. REV promises to decentralize the … [Read more...]
