Alaskan microgrids offer energy resilience and independence
December 26, 2017, American Institute of Physics
The electrical grid in the contiguous United States is a behemoth of interconnected systems. If one section fails or is sabotaged, millions of citizens could be without power. Remote villages in Alaska provide an example of how safeguards could build resilience into a larger electrical grid. These communities rely on microgrids—small, local power stations that operate autonomously. Nine articles in the recent issue of the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, from AIP Publishing, provide the first reviews of energy technologies and costs for microgrids in Alaska.
"The integration of renewable resources into microgrids is an active area of research," Erin Whitney, a researcher at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, University of Alaska Fairbanks said. "Alaskan communities are at the forefront of thinking about integrating sustainable, local, and often renewable, energy into their power generation portfolios."
Read more at:
https://phys.org/news/2017-12-alaskan-microgrids-energy-resilience-independence.html#jCp
