Date: 5th April 2017 – 7th April 2017 Location: Boston – Massachusetts – USA
The Microgrid is the next frontier in the transformation to a 21st century energy infrastructure.
Solar and Wind energy are now fast becoming commonplace and are experiencing massive deployment. Load management using Time of use (TOU) and demand response (DR) resources is now common practice for many utilities in the United States and around the globe. Energy storage and electric vehicle adoption are also seeing a greater market share as prices continue to plummet.
The next step is to tie this Menagerie of resources together into microgrids
The microgrid can be seen as yet another resource in the distributed resource model. They provide security in time of natural disaster, strengthen a grid’s resilience, manage stability of the grid, and can function as a load resource when more or less energy is needed on the main grid.
The state of New York and California are two states at the frontier of developing microgrids, but they are not the only place where this is happening. Although the utility often sees the microgrid as a threat, some are investigating their value. Many of the microgrid projects have been initiated by private capital and projects. The Department of Energy has a database of projects completed or in the works.
The upcoming Conference, 6th National Microgrids Conference, will explore microgrids and their applications and challenges.
Key topics that will be covered include:
- Deploying Microgrids for achieving strategic energy objectives, such as developing storage capacity and increasing energy efficiency
- Integrating renewable energy sources with Microgrids
- Innovative solutions to ensure power quality and grid stability
- Maximizing the use of renewable energy in Microgrids to ensure cost effectiveness and an achieving an acceptable business model for profitability and success
- Implementing Microgrids for control of local power
- The role of advanced Microgrids in integration and interoperability
- Expanding the market by reducing the complexity of Microgrid implementation
- Reshaping the electric grid from a one-way conduit for distributing power into a decentralized, intelligent network
- Exploring technologies available to implement Microgrid systems, reviewing the costs and returns on investment
- Providing new opportunities for system optimization and cost reduction
- Maintaining grid stability and integrating various renewable energy resources to improve energy reliability and efficiency of service across businesses, homes and communities
- Examining the role of small-scale and independent power generation sources in modern grids, including solar and wind, and how to leverage them for the greatest financial benefit
- Exploring the key growth areas and markets for Microgrids
- Reviewing the status and outlook for standards and regulatory initiatives affecting Microgrids
- Real-time tracking, measuring and verification of Microgrids performance
- Microgrids analytic measures and outcomes
The market is predicted to more than double in the next five years, both in terms of installed capacity and annual value. But as grid edge technologies quickly expand, it’s a new wave of cleaner, more agile, and increasingly complex microgrids being developed, and they have the potential to dramatically change the United States power landscape.
Navigant estimates the overall value of the market for remote power systems to be in excess of $10.9 billion today. The market research company’s analysts forecast this will rise nearly 20-fold over the next decade to $196.5 billion
Microgrids being deployed today are more flexible and advanced. Enabled by emerging technologies, value propositions are becoming viable that previously were infeasible or too expensive. Where will new markets emerge over the next five years? Which markets are going to explode? What challenges do they face? How much growth will there be with installations?
Power equipment companies now investing in pilot projects and currently available market opportunities will be well positioned for market leadership as the demand for microgrids increases over time.
Attend this industry event to learn how microgrids provide a real opportunity to improve energy security throughout and to produce energy in a more environmentally friendly way, both by increasing the efficiency of our energy sources and increasing the implementation of renewables.
