By Kenzie Lewis

If you could change one thing about your community to help stop climate change, what would it be? Although climate change can seem like an impossibly big task to tackle, innovators are finding new ways to make a difference every day by challenging the way that we live as a society. One of these new avenues of research is rethinking the way we deliver energy to homes and businesses all over the world. Could there be a better way for us to transport energy without making such a deep carbon footprint?

What is a power grid? Often known as the largest machine in the world, the North American power grid is the backbone of power distribution all across Canada and the United States. The grid is made up of a huge series of interconnected networks that work to deliver generated power to businesses and homes. Networks in the grid can serve three different functions: carrying newly-generated power from generators to a transmission network, using the transmission lines that can be seen from highways to carry the power to district substations, and delivering that power right to your door [1].

So what’s the problem? Unfortunately, because of the large size and interconnectedness of the power grid, problems like storms taking down power lines or software bugs can affect large areas of users, resulting in city-wide power outages. Even though there are safety measures in place to make sure that the rest of the grid will be unaffected, these issues can still result in major problems for hospitals and other businesses that need a constant supply of electricity [2]. This is where the technology of microgrids comes in!

What is a microgrid? Microgrids are smaller grid systems that are used for a specific area, such as a community, a remote area, a campus, or even a single building. These smaller grids can operate independently using their own local energy generators. This allows communities to easily make use of renewable energy sources in their area, and adapt quickly to changing conditions. Some microgrids allow remote areas that are not able to connect to the grid, such as off-grid Canadian indigenous communities or islands, access to sustainable and reliable power [3]. When the need arises, many microgrids can simply hook up to the central power grid for backup power when something goes wrong [4]. Microgrids can lower electricity bills and even lead to profits by allowing communities and companies to use their own power during peak electricity hours in order to cut costs, or selling their own excess electricity back to the grid when generators are down [5].

By allowing communities anywhere in the world to generate and use their own power, microgrids are making the world a cleaner place! Microgrids can help lower electricity prices, provide backup energy sources for when the power grid is down, and can encourage local communities to use renewable energy sources around them. Microgrids are a great example of how one little change in your community can make a big difference in the fight against climate change!

References

[1] “North American Power Grid”. Canadian Electricity Association [Online]. Available: https://electricity.ca/learn/electricity-today/north-american-power-grid/

[2] “Venezuela blackout: Power cuts plunge country into darkness”. BBC News [Online]. Available: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49079175

[3] A. Burger, “Ontario First Nation Sets Clean Energy Milestone with Microgrid”. Microgrid Knowledge [Online]. Available: https://microgridknowledge.com/microgrid-first-nation-ontario/

[4] “How is a Microgrid Different Than a Normal Grid?”. SmartCSM [Online]. Available: https://smartcsm.com/microgrid-different-than-normal-grid/#:~:text=Microgrids%20are%20quickly%20becoming%20one,case%20of%20a%20power%20outage.

[5]“The Challenge of Quantifying the Benefits of Distributed Energy Resources”. Microgrid Knowledge [Online]. Available: https://microgridknowledge.com/distributed-energy-microgrids-setting-value/#:~:text=A%20microgrid%20also%20can%20sell,balance%20between%20supply%20and%20demand.&text=Microgrids%20and%20other%20distributed%20energy,%2Dwires%20alternatives%20(NWAs).

Microgrids: Small Systems Making a Huge Difference