Microgrids |
In addition to the transmission losses associated with centralized power production and delivery there is the matter of electricity reliability. The central grid is far from stable and even one errant power plant, as happened during the 2003 blackout, can interrupt power to tens of millions . A report by the National Academy of Sciences entitled, Severe Space Weather Events , identifies 350 vulnerable transformers. A top solar physicist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Doug Blisecker, warns a solar storm, of the strength of one in 1921, would knock out power from ‘Maine to Georgia’ and affect 130 million people. Restarting the central grid after such a massive failure will be complicated by the lack of water. Water is required to start a power plant and it takes a power plant to start another. Microgrids offer true redundancy and energy independence A microgrid can operate autonomously of the central grid, relying upon multiple power generation sources to meet base loads. Managing localized load demands is simpler enabling the use of renewable energy sources including those considered to be intermittent. Community owned power generation has the potential to provide badly needed revenue for community services. Importing power to investor owned utilities exports dollars out of the local economy. Reducing dependence on central power delivery increases reliability while at the same time increasing local jobs and economic growth. There are more reasons to consider rooftop wind including that buildings act as concentrating collectors.[Learn more] |
Producing power at the point of consumption makes more and more sense each day. A March 2009 National Geographic 
