Microgrids: Impetus for Rethinking the Power Grid?

With the growing, it seems, number of damaging storms of a wide variety, the shortfall of local state and federal funds, especially emergency funds, causing unneeded long delays in getting the old grid systems patched up and back up to serve the customers and needs of communities, it's long past time for the innovations to kick in and create new more reliable systems for the future. All could have started a couple of decades back.

Will storms provide impetus for rethinking the power grid?

November 4, 2011 - Joel Gordes, an energy consultant and former state legislator, remembers what happened on September 26 when he started talking about cyber attacks and ice storms during his presentation to the legislative committee investigating the utility response to tropical storm Irene.

At one point, he recalled, Sen. John Fonfara, co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee looked at him: "This is a hearing on hurricane Irene. Are you in the right room?" he asked.

"If all we're going to look at is just the trees, we're missing the whole point of what we ought to do," said Gordes, who has been on the soapbox of overall grid security for years.

"As the saying goes, the military always prepares for the last war. In many cases, what I see now is the same thing," he said. "We have to look beyond this to the ice storm or the cyber attack. That would make this look like a tap dance."

Looking for new ways to address the shortcomings of the state's electric grid and repair system over the long term rather than just patching up the old one and repeating the mantra of tree trimming is starting to gain traction among officials and energy experts facing the second catastrophic breakdown of both in as many months. That it can also be done in a way that relies more on renewable or clean energy and will create jobs and revenue in the process is making it even more compelling.

"It's very much on our minds," said Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Dan Esty, himself without power for days after the weekend snowstorm. "We have a clear signal; we need to do things differently in Connecticut going forward. We have to look at where have the breakdowns been; what are the options going forward; what are the cost benefits going forward." read more>>>