Mission-Critical Microgrids are Essential to Support Municipal Services
What is a Microgrid
Our Mission-Critical Microgrids (Pat. No. 11,932,130 B2) use locally generated, renewable power from solar, wind, water, and/or the ground. We combine those sources with an energy storage system, typically batteries, then control them with a smart energy management system. This "micro" grid is able to operate on its own during a power outage to create an island of energy for use in its area.
What is unique about municipal microgrids is their location on, around, or near local government critical infrastructure, and their purpose to support these essential facilities and the electric, mission-critical vehicles which operate from them. Electric police cars, fire trucks, ambulances and snow plows must be able to respond at any time day or night, and especially during a disaster. They need a robust, resilient charging system which comes from a microgrid.
Benefits of Microgrids for Municipalities
In addition to providing fuel for electric vehicles, microgrids generate value so they pay for themselves; they provide resiliency for critical facilities and services with uninterrupted power; they are sustainable, because their primary energy sources are renewable; and they are an equitable way to develop clean energy assets across and throughout a community.
Economics
Microgrids use the cheapest energy sources, the ones no one charges you for. They monetize unused space like rooftops, parking lots, vacant properties, brownfields, and/or closed landfills by turning them into energy producers. Because these systems are inherently oversized to meet peak demands during adverse conditions, they have excess capacity. This allows the municipality to sell extra energy back at the right time for a higher rate than it took to create it.
These systems also offset energy being purchased from the local utility providing direct savings. When the utility is a partner, distributed microgrids located all across a community will support the electric grid through energy services like demand response, voltage variability, and load balancing.
Resiliency
Microgrids based on local, distributed power generation and storage are designed to operate independently during power outages or disastrous conditions. If your community is affected by a disaster, only the immediate area is affected.
Distributed energy systems (microgrids across your municipality) make your community better able to maintain operational capability, and when integrated into your local electric grid provide grid-level resiliency. Microgrids support more than just local government infrastructure and transportation systems, when installed across a community they help everyone.
Sustainability
Fossil fuels require prospecting, drilling, refining, transporting, storing, and distribution systems to fill your tank. Many times these fuels come from far away. Microgrid-based electricity is generated and stored locally, and not dependent on foreign sources of fuel. They do not require a lengthy processing and extensive transportation system to provide the energy you need to operate your facilities and fleets.
Fossil fuels must be burned to create power emitting greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Once a microgrid is built it operates without emissions for decades of service. If a generator is included in a microgrid it will operate at its most efficient level by acting as a battery charger, not matching a variable load.
Equitable Development
Our current energy systems are one-way, top-down delivery systems. They serve everyone, but not all systems are held to same standards for reliability and efficiency. By developing microgrids across a community to support municipal infrastructure every neighborhood will be served by clean energy.
If every fire station, police station, EMS office, service garage, library, school, hospital and more had microgrids, the whole municipality would benefit regardless of location, or economic status. Locally controlled energy systems are also able to respond to incidents with immediate effect, not require lengthy wait times while service areas are prioritized and restored based on perceived value.
Municipalities should embrace microgrids to achieve these multiple benefits simultaneously. Enabling a smart, efficient electrification transition starts with planning for a more resilient, cost-effective and sustainable future using microgrids. Start planning for microgrids in your community today.
Challenges for Municipalities from Microgrids
Infrastructure Requirements
Municipalities need to assess the feasibility of adding renewable energy sources to their facilities. They must calculate the power and energy needed to support robust, resilient charging infrastructure. Microgrid locations, types, and capacities must be established to ensure adequate power and reliability is effective to support mission-critical vehicles and infrastructure, especially during high-demand scenarios and adverse conditions. Most municipalities do not have the capacity or capability to make these determinations.
Cost Considerations
High upfront costs for infrastructure and grid upgrades are a challenge, but long-term savings from reduced fossil fuel reliance, lower maintenance, and greater efficiency will mitigate those expenses. In addition, microgrids produce value so they pay for themselves over time. This also makes them eligible for energy service financing options which frees up capital budgets and provides budget neutral options to pay for microgrid development.
Regulatory Barriers
Outdated policies, limited interoperability, and complex permitting processes hinder implementation of renewable energy technologies. Collaborative efforts to update regulations, streamline guidelines, and foster partnerships are essential for overcoming these obstacles. Local governments are leading the way on this transition to smarter, more efficient, and more cost-effective energy systems. Local ordinances, codes and regulations should be amended to support and promote the development of modern, clean energy systems in a community.
Transitioning municipalities to electric vehicles and microgrids requires careful planning, an understanding of this new technology, and thoughtful consideration on how to apply it. Developing an electrification strategy by defining your community's needs, and determining the feasibility of developing microgrids along with adding EV's is a complicated process. Get started by connecting with our municipal microgrid and electrification experts.