With Connecticut winning recognition this month from the Clean Energy States Alliance for a solar leasing program it debuted, the state may be taking interest in another CESA award winner: California, which is working to install micro electric grids servicing small, targeted areas.
In the wake of the 2011 blackouts caused by Tropical Storm Irene and an October nor”™easter, Connecticut authorized up to $15 million in funding for grants and loans for up to 65 megawatts of onsite electricity generation across 10 to 15 pilot projects.
The state is targeting first responders, hospitals, nursing homes, water plants, cell phone towers and jails, but also downtown areas with key community needs like gas stations, pharmacies and supermarkets.
“We hope from there to test out what works in the way of microgrid pilot programs and go beyond that into what I think will be a model for the 21st century, where we have a (system) of high-efficiency, big power plants, but also a set of distributed generation opportunities,” said Dan Esty, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
“One of the keys for microgrids will be to bring down the cost. There”™s certainly a little bit of a premium ”¦ for that microgrid structure, but it needs to be over time cheaper, cleaner and more reliable all at once.”
The history of microgrids dates back to the debut of electricity and Thomas Edison establishing his first power plant in 1882 on Pearl Street in New York City.
In 1978, Congress enacted the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, which included a section governing “small power” production. Microgrid planning gained steam following the 2001 terrorist attacks, California”™s rolling blackouts that year, and the Northeast blackout of 2003. Under the 2005 Energy Policy Act, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has since developed standards for connecting distributed generation systems to the grid.
If the 2011 storms put microgrids back on the radar in a big way, an ABB Inc. “smart grid” manager named Brad Luyster notes other factors are making them more appealing as well: demand projected to double by 2025, transformers already more than 40 years old on average; and incredibly, half of all utility workers scheduled to retire within the next five years.
The microgrid must be able to function in “island mode,” in the words of Lee Hansen, an analyst in the Connecticut General Assembly”™s office of legislative research, or as part of the larger electrical grid with the ability to “export” power.
In 2011, Connecticut passed a law authorizing “energy improvement districts” at the local level, streamlining the process for establishing local generators with both Bridgeport and Stamford having established districts.
And the state has at least one major concept under way ”“ the Great Pond residential development in Windsor outside Hartford, which will have a microgrid supporting 4,000 homes and 700,000 square feet of commercial space. Great Pond plans to use a mix of solar panels, natural gas combustion, fuel cells, batteries and combined heat and power systems, but not wind turbines.
After holding a workshop in mid-October, DEEP issued its initial request for microgrid proposals, with bids due next February.
Key requirements include:
- microgrid supplies power to at least two critical facilities;
- all interconnection facilities underground to ensure reliability;
- the ability to switch to island mode automatically under “black start” status;
- a demonstrated ability to operate in island mode for an extended period of time; and
- access to a reliable source of fuel.
In addition to municipalities and private businesses, Connecticut Light & Power Co. and United Illuminating Co. are allowed to apply for funding should they contemplate building out microgrid infrastructure.
Funding may not be used for fuel, maintenance or other ongoing costs of operating a microgrid generator.
