If you think of microgrids as mere backup power, think again. That was the message from panelists at Microgrid 2018 who described how microgrids serve the greater good in the U.S and abroad.
Their projects include electrifying parts of Somalia, helping prevent brain drain in Africa and India, cost-effectively solving a utility’s peak problems in New York City, and providing electricity and heat for communities during outages.
Moderator Michael Kilpatrick, vice president of power systems solutions for S&C Electric, related a personal story that drove home how microgrids serve the greater good. While he was staying in a hotel with his family, power was knocked out. He and his family went downstairs to the lobby to leave, only to find that about 14 panicky people in wheelchairs had assembled.
If a microgrid had been close by, these people who needed medical care would likely have found a safe haven, he said.
“As big storms displace people in communities, the grid is critical,” he said.
Stabilizing war-torn Somalia
During the first panel, Sean Brooks, director of business development, SolarGen Technologies, described his company’s move into Somalia as the war-torn country started to stabilize. SolarGen began in Nigeria with solar pumping projects, but saw that Somalia, with some of the highest electricity rates in the world, was a good market for mini-grids.
At first, people in Somalia wanted solar street lights, Brooks said. “This was simple with an enormous impact” because it allowed Somalian businesses to operate for longer periods of time, he said. Next the company provided solar-powered pumping stations. And last year, SolarGen was awarded funds from government and aid organizations to electrify 200 houses in Somalia with solar mini-grids.
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