A leader in remote solar-powered microgrids says the grid-connected solar competition could learn some lessons from its off-grid experience.
August 16, 2012 - Imagine a Venn diagram with two overlapping circles labeled “solar power” and “microgrids.” In the solar power category, you’ve got gigawatts being pumped out around the globe, ranging from utility-scale solar plants to residential rooftop PV arrays, and everything in between.
In the microgrid category, you’ve got a motley collection of off-grid installations for remote applications like oil wells and cellular towers, uninterruptible backup power systems for critical infrastructure like hospitals and military bases, and in the case of places like India or Africa where the grid is unreliable, thousands and thousands of diesel generators chugging away when the power goes down.
Almost none of these microgrids run on solar power, and those that do tend to be experimental projects like the U.S. Department of Energy’s SEGIS program participants, or Japan’s Smart City Projects. Private projects that actually make and store enough solar power to keep themselves running are rare. read more>>>
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