Lots of new microgrid projects are coming on stream in 2022. Here are a few of the most exciting and potentially game-changing as we move along the energy transition timeline.
Maryland’s electric bus depot microgrid starts construction
Montgomery County, Maryland, is creating another smart project for the area. The county already operates microgrids at correctional and public safety facilities. Now it’s commissioning a 5.6 MW microgrid at the Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot with distributed energy generation, energy storage and over two MW of charging capacity. AlphaStruxure, a partnership between Schneider Electric and the Carlyle Group, designed and will build and deliver the project for the local authority, using an energy-as-a-service model that doesn’t require the county to fund it upfront. The jurisdiction plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2035 and the microgrid is part of the scheme to reach that target.
Schneider Electric's microgrid brings energy savings to Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey, is ready to break ground as soon as weather permits on this municipal services microgrid. The city has committed $15 million to an energy savings improvement program that includes a microgrid in the facilities to be constructed. Schneider Electric again is the design and build contractor. The solar-plus-storage microgrid project is unusual in that it will incorporate electric garbage trucks, which will be an innovation in urban service vehicle usage.
Los Angeles rolls out big microgrid plans
The Greater Los Angeles area is emerging as a major center for microgrids. The city's latest plan is to install one of the nation's largest electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, powered by a solar and storage microgrid. This Washington Bus Yard development comes as the Los Angeles Department of Transportation moves to create an all-electric vehicle fleet by 2028. Funded by a $6 million grant from the California Energy Commission, the solar and storage microgrid will serve a 7.5-MW EV charging system, making it what developer Proterra Energy describes as one of the most significant projects of its kind in the country.
UK microgrid project charts move to smart homes implementation
In southern Britain, housing developer Quinn Estates is working on another approach to smart home microgrids with SNRG SmartGrids, a microgrid-as-a-service company, backed by Centrica, one of the UK’s largest energy utilities. SNRG will finance, design, build and operate the privately owned microgrid, providing energy-as-a-service for the 162 houses being built at the Grove Park estate. The design uses a proprietary smart home management system, which can operate a wide range of different renewable assets. Grove Park has preliminary planning consent and although firm details for the microgrid are still being finalized, construction development is expected to commence by the middle of 2022. It will form part of a pipeline of some 24,000 homes that Quinn Estates has in planning across south east England.
Tiny town in Australia pioneers local microgrid model
To demonstrate that microgrids aren't just for metropolitan conurbations, the tiny Australian outback town of Heyfield, with 2000 inhabitants, is pioneering a community microgrid. With support from the Australian government and technical assistance from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) the town is working on creating a model for local electricity generation and distribution.
It is clear that a wide variety of areas around the world will be moving forward with innovative microgrid systems in 2022. Whether Greater Los Angeles, or a small town in Australia, new developments will increase our knowledge and abilities to link small-scale systems to the main grid