Microdgrids Remained Online During Sandy — The New Jersey Government Noticed

By Walter Borden

Its been well documented that solar network power generators held-up during hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey. This was true for PSG&E systems as well as those supplied by start-ups. As Walter Meyer of Power Rockaway Resilience pointed out:

“While gas generators sat idle without gasoline in Rockaway Beach, solar generators that David cobbled together have been producing power nonstop from the second they hit the ground. Like a renewable Hail Mary into the impact zone, these devices have already been clutch.” 

Microgrid Growth Across the US. Source: GTM Research
Microgrid Growth Across the US. Source: GTM Research

Now the state of New Jersey is taking steps to further assist the Solar and broader renewable energy industry to deploy in New Jersey. Renewable Energy reports:

“Increasing energy resilience, whether through the [ERB], the [state Board of Public Utilities (BPU)] approved resiliency improvement measures implemented by utility companies or NJ’s Clean Energy Program, will minimize the potential impacts of future widespread power outages due to major storms like Superstorm Sandy,” Dianne Solomon, president of the BPU, said in the statement.”

Noting that Sandy caused extensive damage to the state’s energy infrastructure, the BPU said that distributed energy resources, including combined heat and power, fuel cells and off-grid solar inverters with battery storage, allowed some critical facilities, including hospitals, to remain operational while the electric grid was down. Launching the ERB will allow more such facilities to remain operational during future outages.

Solar Microgrids continue to come online across the United States as well as across the world. Several factors drive their emergence: addressing carbon pollution, the need for uninterrupted power supply during severe weather and other crises, and the need for low-pollution, accesible power in remote areas. Diesel fuel after all must be shipped in.

Another popular feature in urban areas is the ability to sell spare power back to the grid. This is a feature consumers love but many utilities resist. And they are now on the march to charge distribution fees to consumers that generate power for the grid.

Nonetheless, many states are moving to scale back renewable energy support (curiously while leaving fossil fuel subsidy and policy support in place). So there is a long way to go for the U.S. to gain energy independence and ensure that our air and water supplies are safe for future generations.