More and more people are becoming concerned with the resiliency and reliance of power. When there is an outage, planned or unplanned, and the grid goes dark; what can we do? The solution to this problem is microgrids, in partnership with renewable energy such as solar energy.

What is a Microgrid?

A microgrid is a local energy grid with control capability, which means it can disconnect from the traditional grid and operate autonomously.1 According to the U.S. Department of Energy Microgrid Exchange Group, the following criteria defines a microgrid:



Advantages of Microgrids

There are more than several benefits of microgrids:4

  • Provide efficient, low-cost, clean energy
  • Improve the operation and stability of the regional electric grid
  • Critical infrastructure that increases reliability and resilience
  • Reduce grid congestion and peak loads
  • Make RTO markets more competitive
  • Support places of refuge in regional crises and first responders
  • Use local energy resources and jobs
  • Diversified risk rather than concentrated risk
  • When properly designed, a regional power grid that combines both large central plants and distributed microgrids can be built with less total capital cost, less installed generation, higher capacity factor on all assets, and higher reliability.

How Microgrids are Being Utilized

The grid connects homes, businesses and other buildings to central power sources, which allow us to use appliances, heating/cooling systems and electronics. But this interconnectedness means that when part of the grid needs to be repaired, everyone is affected.


A microgrid can be powered by distributed generators, batteries, and/or renewable resources like solar panels. Depending on how it’s fueled and how its requirements are managed, a microgrid might run indefinitely.

A microgrid not only provides backup for the grid in case of emergencies, but can also be used to cut costs, or connect to a local resource that is too small or unreliable for traditional grid use. A microgrid allows communities to be more energy independent and, in some cases, more environmentally friendly.1


In cases such as the fires raging in California recently, microgrids would prove to be beneficial. Many of the power outages in California are planned outages, so that powerlines are not knocked down and sparking more fires. For many people, a microgrid would be a solution to their power problem by being able to produce their own power via solar panels and storing this energy for use in emergencies. These households could disconnect from the main grid and be self-sufficient until the main grid is back online.

Who to Contact

If you have an energy storage or alternative energy project you are looking to pair with a microgrid, give us a click on the Contact Us button at the top of this page.


1Department of Energy. (June 17, 2014). How Microgrids Work. Retrieved from

2Berkeley Lab. (2019). About Microgrids. Retrieved from

3Fields, Spencer. (January 17, 2019). What are microgrids and how do they work? Retrieved from

4Microgrid Resources Coalition. (2019). Microgrid Features. Retrieved from