In the bigger picture of the electricity grid, this would seem to be a waste of resources for society at large, and hints at missed opportunities for the system owner as well. This is capacity that will by design sit idle for the vast majority of the time – making off-grid home energy systems larger and much more expensive than grid-connected ones. There’s also the fact that each off-grid home will need redundant solar & battery capacity to make it possible for them to live off the grid. While a good number of people may indeed end up going off the grid in the next decade, the vast majority are likely to remain connected for reasons of convenience, finance or limitations such as lack of roof space for solar panels. This doesn’t mean that we’re headed for an ‘every man for himself’ world of off-gridders hoarding their locally-produced energy like tinned goods in a post-apocalyptic zombie movie. Energy independence vs sharing with community As battery storage prices come down, households become increasingly able – and likely – to take their energy matters into their own hands. For the first time, it is possible for virtually any homeowner to affordably meet at least a portion of their energy needs themselves instead of relying wholly on the electricity grid and far-away, large-scale power plants. The rise of affordable small-scale renewable energy – particularly rooftop solar – is revolutionising energy systems around the world. Affordable small-scale generation is changing our approach to energy Rooftop solar panel systems are the most noteworthy and common example of small-scale distributed generation. In recent years, however, a fourth component has begun to creep into conventional grids: small-scale distributed generation.
This has been the model for electricity grids since their creation about 100 years ago.ĭiagram overview of how a conventional electricity grid works. It is the size of the power plants and the distances that electricity travels (often hundreds or thousands of kilometres) upon which the ‘modern’ grid concept – now over a century old – is based. the ‘poles and wires’ (the electricity delivery infrastructure) and.energy consumers (homes, businesses, etc).The rise of distributed generators in the ‘macro’ gridĪ conventional electricity network (AKA ‘the grid’) is essentially comprised of three things: The points below detail the changes currently afoot in electrical systems around the world. In order to understand why microgrids are gaining popularity, it’s helpful to understand how larger electricity grids (‘macrogrids’) operate – and the forces that are currently at play in changing them. Background: Why community microgrids are a hot topic
MICRO GRIDS HOW TO
This article covers community microgrid basics, from the reasons for their growing popularity to their components and applications – as well as an overview of how to join one. Increasingly, community microgrids are being eyed as an option even in areas where a larger grid already exists, mainly as a way to increase local energy independence and resilience.
Community microgrids are a way for neighbourhoods, villages, towns and cities to meet their energy needs locally.
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