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...]
Putting Power in Consumers' Control with Microgrids, Storage
The future of energy is distributed energy, says Bill Watkins, CEO of Imergy Power. Solar, energy storage and microgrids will put power in consumers' control--where it should be, he says. Companies like Walmart should build microgrids and offer power to neighbors, he says in this podcast. … [Read more...]
Utilities Could Lose $48B Annually from Grid Flight and Energy Efficiency
Concern has heightened among utility executives about grid flight and energy efficiency, and new research indicates they have good reason to worry. Accenture is reporting today that energy efficiency and local energy could drive down utility revenue by as much as $48 billion a year in the United States and €61 billion a year in Europe by 2025. … [Read more...]
U.S. Navy Seeks Bids to Integrate Solar into California Microgrid
The U.S. Navy is seeking a contractor to integrate solar panels into an existing microgrid at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Bids are due September 29. The microgrid is currently powered by wind turbines; the solar panels must be integrated with the wind system by the contractor. The Navy is using the microgrid to … [Read more...]
Microgrid Knowledge Publisher to Moderate Panel at NextGen Microgrid Event Sept. 11
Kevin Normandeau, group publisher of Energy Efficiency Markets and Microgrid Knowledge, will moderate a panel "Controllers: Selecting the Right Technology to Control your Own Grid," on September 11 at the NextGen Microgrid conference in Chicago, Ill., Panel participants will include Schneider Electric, Green Energy Corp, and S&C Electric, … [Read more...]
Con Edison to Meet the Energy Needs of a Changing City
Push aside your stereotype about Con Edison as a slow moving public utility Goliath, and meet an energy company determined to change how it operates. Con Ed, which serves the metropolitan New York area, is taking an innovative, cost savings approach to delivering dependable power that offers a glimpse into the future of what I predict all major … [Read more...]