Microgrids are among the disruptive class of tech, that which challenges the status quo to improve society. However, lately a technology’s worth is based less on how well it disrupts and more on how well it responds to societal disruption.
With the disruption brought by COVID-19, products like teleconferencing, home delivery and telemedicine appear to be emerging as winners. So too are microgrids, as became apparent last week as more than 4,000 people joined our virtual conference — the largest gathering ever of those interested in microgrids. They came to understand — and help chart — a course for microgrids in this new era.
More than 50 energy leaders offered their take on the role of microgrids as society rethinks the old way of doing things — and where it really can’t lose power. Here are three key messages we took away.
Supply chains are thin. Flexibility is crucial
The pandemic reminded us that it’s impossible to prepare for every contingency, noted Erik Svenholm, vice president of non-wires alternatives at S&C Electric. “Flexibility and ability to quickly adjust are crucial.”
And that’s what microgrids offer with their multiple energy assets and intelligence that allows them to quickly shift what combination of solar, storage, generators, grid assets or other resources are best to employ at any given time based on grid reliability, weather, pricing and other metrics. This is something mere backup generators cannot do.
“For energy resiliency a backup generator solves a single issue a single way, has its own supply chain and inserts a new point of failure,” he said. “The best bet is to have flexible systems with multiple operational modes and pathways that have a better chance of exhibiting a useful operating mode regardless of what actually happens out there. For microgrids, to me, this points toward advanced systems with multiple energy sources and use cases.”
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