By their very nature, engineers are expert planners. They are trained to take many factors into consideration as they design, construct, and maintain a broad range of complex systems. These systems and structures are used across the market’s wide variety of industries and applications. However, one variable that’s proven more difficult to account for over the years when it comes to electric grid resiliency has been the weather and its increasingly volatile nature.
According to a recent report by the American Meteorological Society, climate change is leading to more extreme weather around the world. It is increasing the risk of everything from violent storms to unprecedented heat waves, floods, droughts, and other natural disasters.
Resilient Electric Grids in the Face of Weather Events
The growing incidence and severity of weather events has had an especially significant impact on electric grids worldwide. A recent report from science and technology organization Climate Central confirms that the resultant frequency of weather-related power outages is rising.
“We’re going to require a more robust grid than was built previously,” said Jen Brady, a lead analyst for Climate Central.
Consider Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 hurricane, whose widespread storm surge knocked out power to 2.7 million customers in Florida— nearly 25% of the state’s residents— in September 2022. Another example is Storm Ciarán, whose 100 mph winds resulted in power outages for millions of residents across multiple countries in November 2023. Elsewhere, Typhoon Lan knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers throughout western Japan in August 2023. Moreover, over 2.1 million customers lost power following a powerful storm that hit Sao Paulo, Brazil in November 2023. More than 500,000 homes and businesses in southeastern Australia’s capital region lost power in February 2024. This was after a violent storm damaged a major power plant’s transmission network.
The fact is, many electric grid systems worldwide haven’t caught up to the climate reality we’re now experiencing globally. As a result, planning for unforeseen weather emergencies has become more essential. Taking steps to ensure the increased resiliency of electric grids is crucial for utilities and the communities they serve.
In response, electric utilities worldwide are engaging in a variety of proactive initiatives to “harden” their systems. According to Power Magazine, these measures include upgrades to the quality, capacity, and efficiency of transmission circuits and components. Plus, employment of tree-trimming and other vegetation management activities. Moreover, they are using artificial intelligence platforms to better predict the impact of forecasted storms. Finally, the installation of intelligent sensors and smart meters to help identify and restore power outages.
Starting From the Ground Up
Electric reliability and grid resiliency take on another meaning altogether for the estimated 750-800 million people around the world. This group, nearly 10% of the world’s population, currently has no access to electricity at all. The majority of the affected population live in sub-Saharan African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Ethiopia. Here, and in other underdeveloped regions, the establishment of “minigrids” is the quickest and most cost-effective way to bring power to remote locations. These places lack large, central electric grids.
Distributing electricity generated by renewable sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage, hydropower, and diesel generators, minigrids are a solution. Due to their sustainable design and reliance on renewable power sources, The World Bank believes minigrids can provide electricity to up to 500 million people by 2030. Minigrids can also reduce the world’s carbon footprint.
The construction and activation of minigrids is already making positive inroads globally. For example, recently implemented hydro-powered minigrids have brought much-needed electricity to over 1.5 million people in Nepal. Elsewhere, a system of nearly two dozen minigrids distributes energy to over 10,000 rural residents of West Bengal, India. Additionally, thanks to US$150 million in funding from The World Bank, Kenya’s government recently announced plans to build 137 solar minigrids. These are designed to provide electricity to nearly 300,000 households in remote sectors of the nation.
Enabling Access
Minigrids hold great promise for providing access to electricity in undeveloped communities worldwide. This is especially true in Africa, where the use of minigrids could impact the greatest number of people most quickly.
IEEE encourages professionals to learn more about minigrids. This effort to adopt and accelerate their deployment in communities can offer significant benefits.
Through Minigrids in Africa, a four-course program from IEEE, learners are introduced to the distinct opportunities and challenges. These arise when deploying electric minigrids that provide reliable power to millions of people in Africa, where many currently have no access to any sources of electricity. Topics include the contextual, technological, regulatory, and policy considerations for minigrids in Africa, as well as their design and deployment, operation, and future on that continent.
This course program is ideal for everyone from minigrid engineers, project managers, developers, and entrepreneurs. National grid engineers, managers, and policy and regulatory professionals can also benefit.
Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn how to get access to this program for your organization.
If you’re interested in access for yourself, visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN).
Resources
Allard, Anthony. (18 August 2022). Preparing the Grid for an Above-Average Hurricane Season. Power Magazine.
Karlin, Sam. (9 October 2022). Hurricanes Ian and Ida Hammered Two States’ Electric Grids. Nola.com.
Deger, Bill. (5 November 2023). Storm Ciarán Turns Deadly in Northern Europe, as 100-mph Winds Knock Out Power For Millions. AccuWeather.
Hersher, Rebecca. (9 January 2023). Climate Change Makes Heat Waves, Storms and Droughts Worse, Climate Report Confirms. NPR.
Boadle, Anthony and Moreira, Camila. (6 November 2023). Hundreds of Thousands Still Without Power Days After Storm Hits Brazil’s Largest City. Reuters.
Proffer, Erica. (6 October 2022). A New Report Shows Weather-Related Power Outages ono the Rise. KVUE.
Haun, Andy. (12 April 2019). Micro or Mini: There’s a Grid Type for Every Energy Need. Microgrid Knowledge.
Wood, Elisa. (28 March 2020). What is a Microgrid? Microgrid Knowledge.
(25 June 2019). Mini Grids for Half a Billion People: Market Outlook and Handbook for Decision Makers. The World Bank.
The Africa Minigrids Program. United Nations Development Programme.
(27 February 2023). Solar Mini Grids Could Sustainably Power 380 Million People in Africa by 2030 – if Action is Taken Now. The World Bank.
Mwirigi, Cosmas. (14 March 2023). Kenya to Combat Rural Energy Access Gap With Over 130 solar Minigrids. PV Magazine.
With electricity powering every corner of life and work in modern society, the absence of reliable access to electricity can indelibly impact a community or country’s ability to function. It can also hinder their ability to conduct business and make the forward progress necessary for a positive and productive future.
The Need for Minigrids
Recent statistics confirm that an estimated 750-800 million people— some 9-10% of the world’s population— don’t have access to electricity. While progress has been made towards improving global access to electricity, the current number of people living without electricity is half of what it was 20 years ago. However, the impact of the pandemic along with rising food and fuel prices globally have driven an increase in the worldwide number of people living without electricity for the first time in more than a decade. This trend is especially concerning in sub-Saharan African countries. This is because over 550 million people already live without electricity. In such countries as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Ethiopia, population growth is outpacing electric connections.
These realities have placed more emphasis than ever on the need to expand access to reliable power in Africa. They have also led to concerted global efforts to establish minigrids in the continent’s most underdeveloped regions. Deemed the quickest and most cost-effective way to bring power to remote locations where no large, central electric grids exist, microgrid projects in undeveloped regions worldwide are bringing hope. They are helping vulnerable communities that might otherwise be relegated to a future of poverty.
What Are Minigrids?
There are currently three types of grid structures through which electricity is distributed to users:
“Macrogrids” are centralized electric grids designed to serve large populations. Present in modern industrial economies such as North America, Europe, and China, macrogrids manage electricity supply. They promote reliable energy generation and distribution to all customers.
“Microgrids” are local, self-sufficient energy systems that are designed to support a defined community of users. With their ability to either operate independently of a macrogrid or tap into it if necessary, microgrids help ensure greater resiliency, reliability, and power quality for users.
Optimal for remote or rural locations that have little or no access to a larger macrogrid, “minigrids” are smaller-scale microgrids. They are designed to distribute electricity generated by such renewable sources as solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage, hydropower, and diesel generators. Following a recent decline in the cost of minigrid construction and the subsequent kWh cost of the electricity they generate, combined with an increase in their quality and performance, the World Bank suggests that, with the right amount of investment, minigrids powered by all sources “have the potential to provide electricity to as many as 500 million people by 2030.” Because they’re powered by renewable sources, minigrids can also help reduce the world’s carbon footprint. This is achieved by potentially avoiding the emission of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
According to the United States Agency for International Development, examples of successful minigrid projects in underdeveloped nations around the world in the past decade include:
- The construction of hydro-powered minigrids in rural Nepal that currently provide electricity to over 1.5 million residents,
- A collection of 23 solar-powered minigrids successfully distributing energy to 10,000 rural residents within remote, swampy communities in West Bengal, India, and
- A hydro-powered minigrid bringing much-needed electricity to both local residents as well as The Mufindi Tea and Coffee Company factory in rural Tanzania.
Electrifying Potential
The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) is one of several organizations currently working to promote global private and public investment in solar battery-powered minigrids throughout 21 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the organization aims to enhance quality of life. It also works to support socio-economic development for hundreds of millions of individuals for generations to come.
“While Africa remains the least electrified continent, it also has the biggest potential for solar minigrid deployment,” confirmed Gabriela Elizondo Azuela, Manager of the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). This program forecasts that solar-powered minigrids alone could power 380 million people in Africa by 2030 if properly supported and funded.
Help Achieve a Balance of Power With IEEE
Minigrids hold great promise for providing access to electricity in undeveloped countries and communities worldwide, especially in Africa. In this region, the use of minigrids could impact the greatest number of people most quickly.
Minigrids in Africa, a four-course program from IEEE, introduces learners to the distinct opportunities and challenges of deploying electric minigrids. These minigrids could provide reliable power to millions of people in Africa, where many currently have no access to electricity. Topics covered include the contextual, technological, regulatory, and policy considerations for minigrids in Africa. Additionally, their design and deployment, operation, and future on the continent are discussed. This course program is ideal for everyone from minigrid engineers, minigrid project managers, and minigrid developers and entrepreneurs to national grid engineers/managers and policy and regulatory professionals.
Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn how to get access to this program for your organization.
Interested in access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN).
Resources
Cozzi, Laura, Wetzel, Daniel, Tonolo, Gianluca, and Hyppolite II, Jacob. (3 November 2022). For the First Time in Decades, the Number of People Without Access to Electricity is Set to Increase in 2022. International Energy Agency.
Ritchie, Hannah. (30 November 2021). The Number of People Without Electricity More than Halved Over the Last 20 Years. Our World in Data.
Haun, Andy. (12 April 2019). Micro or Mini: There’s a Grid Type for Every Energy Need. Microgrid Knowledge.
Wood, Elisa. (28 March 2020). What is a Microgrid? Microgrid Knowledge.
(25 June 2019). Mini Grids for Half a Billion People: Market Outlook and Handbook for Decision Makers. The World Bank.
The Africa Minigrids Program. United Nations Development Programme.
(27 February 2023). Solar Mini Grids Could Sustainably Power 380 Million People in Africa by 2030 – if Action is Taken Now. The World Bank.
Today’s residential and business sectors have never been more dependent on the reliable flow of electricity. From consumers demanding instantaneous internet connectivity—both at home and on-the-go— to the vast majority of businesses both large and small relying on uninterrupted electric power, electricity is critical to keep operations running, communications intact, and more.
However, while electricity is key to much of daily life, numerous developments have recently put a strain on the electric grid and stand to impede the continuous and reliable flow of electricity. Some of the factors that have led to issues of both resiliency and sustainability for electric users include:
- the ever-expanding electricity demands of a growing population
- the increased frequency of powerful storms and other natural disasters that cause power outages and damage utility assets
- aging grid infrastructure that drives inefficiencies and power quality losses
One solution that could offer a win-win solution to these dilemmas is the emergence of microgrid technologies.
Benefitting From Self-Sufficient Energy Systems
According to industry sources Microgrid Knowledge and the U.S. Department of Energy, microgrids are self-sufficient energy systems that support a defined community of users. Such communities could be a university campus, a hospital, a corporate center, or a residential neighborhood.
Typically driven or supported by solar power, wind turbines, battery energy storage systems (BESS), generators, fuel cells, and other renewable energy sources, microgrids can operate independently from the main electric grid if needed. Essentially, the microgrid becomes an energy “island” that’s impervious to power disruptions experienced by the main grid. At the same time, microgrid use of local generation reduces power losses that are inherent in the traditional long-distance transmission and distribution (T&D) of electricity. For example, across the United States’ nearly six million miles of T&D lines, losses can be up to 15% and some European Union countries experience up to 17% power losses.
Through sophisticated software, microgrids can also be “intelligent” in terms of their ability to optimize use of multiple energy resources to achieve any of a number of specific goals. Common goals include securing the least expensive energy (perhaps by purchasing energy from the main grid if that’s the cheapest source on a particular day), producing the greenest energy or the most reliable supply, as well as other objectives.
A Solution of Choice
Based on these powerful capabilities and benefits, microgrid technologies have been the solution of choice for a range of critical projects.
For example, energy infrastructure provider AlphaStruxure recently announced its plan to create and operate an 11.34 MW microgrid that will transform JFK International Airport’s new terminal into “the first fully resilient airport transit hub in the New York region that can function off-grid during power disruptions.”
Back in 2011, a hurricane and snowstorm knocked out power to 750,000 area homes in Hartford, Connecticut for nearly two weeks. But thanks to a microgrid recently built by the city of Hartford, power now reliably flows to a number of the city’s most critical and life-sustaining environments, including a healthcare facility, school, gas station, and grocery store.
Similar microgrids built in the past five to ten years are helping to sustain operations at college campuses including Princeton University in New Jersey and New York University in Manhattan, as well as at Co-Op City, a housing development that’s home to over 50,000 residents in The Bronx, New York. Additionally, Microsoft recently announced its intention to build a new data center microgrid in San Jose, California.
International examples include planned microgrids at The Royal Mint in Wales and the Chub Cay Resort Marina in The Bahamas. The World Bank also plans to fund six microgrid projects in rural Nigeria.
According to Annette Clayton, CEO of Schneider Electric North America, the organization which will be providing microgrid technology, software, and services to AlphaStruxure’s microgrid installation at JFK Airport, “microgrids solve two of the most serious challenges — resilience and decarbonization — with a single solution.”
Get Up to Speed on Microgrid Technologies
Whether you’re a city planner, an energy service provider, operate a mission-critical facility that’s reliant on the continuous flow of electricity, or are a savvy energy user or professional, it behooves you to learn more about the operation, benefits, and inner workings of microgrids.
The IEEE Academy on Smart Grid Microgrids offers a solid overview of microgrid technologies and their integration with renewable energy sources and energy management systems. Upon completing this five-hour online training, learners will gain a better understanding of the latest trends, technologies, solutions, and applications for microgrids. Learners will also explore the benefits, challenges, best practices, and insights related to microgrid modeling, analysis, protection, and control.
For more information or to enroll in this program, please visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN)
Resources
Office of Electricity. The Role of Microgrids in Helping to Advance the Nation’s Energy System. U.S. Department of Energy.
Wood, Elisa. (28 March 2020). What is a Microgrid?. Microgrid Knowledge.
Brush, Kate. (Accessed 30 August 2022). DEFINITION: finite element analysis (FEA). TechTarget.
Innovation & Policy: Energy Efficiency. T&D Europe.
AlphaStruxure to Design, Construct, and Operate JFK’s New Terminal One Microgrid, Creating the Largest Rooftop Terminal Solar Array in the U.S. (26 January 2023). AlphaStruxure/PR Newswire.
Gies, Erica. (4 December 2017). Microgrids Keep These Cities Running When the Power Goes Out. Inside Climate News.
Wood, Elisa. (15 June 2022). Enchanted Rock to Build California’s Largest RNG Microgrid for Microsoft. Microgrid Knowledge.
Wood, Elisa. (11 January 2022). 22 intriguing microgrid projects to watch in 2022. Microgrid Knowledge.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is allowing organizations to cost-effectively implement smart grids, also known as microgrids. Through IoT-based energy technologies, companies could revolutionize the distribution of electricity around the world.
Microgrids create smaller groups from the larger electrical utility grid, which provides greater control to organizations on how they use their energy supply. Through this ability to disconnect and operate on the grid or in island mode, organizations can make smarter use of their power.
Islanding
Islanding refers to the ability of microgrid owners to improve resiliency when the grid is not supplying enough power. Microgrid owners are able to produce their own power when needed.
According to Justin Brant, a senior associate with the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), “the biggest key is just in the area of resiliency, and that [microgrids] can provide the opportunity to island from the grid…When the grid may be down, you can still provide basic services.”
Benefits of a Microgrid
An IoT-based microgrid gives organizations power—both literally and figuratively. With the installation of an IoT-based microgrid, owners are able to improve the efficiency of their energy consumption. In additional to giving owners the ability to generate their own energy, microgrids also reduce dependency on utilities by helping to reduce costs and avoid peak usage charges. The technology even has the ability to produce revenue should the microgrid produce a surplus of power, which could be sold to a utility.
Utility Concerns
Microgrids may be helpful for organizations, but many utilities do not view them in a positive light. An increase in IoT-based microgrids could possibly mean a revenue loss. Furthermore, an increase in microgrids will require infrastructure upgrades. Because microgrids both use and generate energy, utilities will need to make sure that they are able to handle the bidirectional movement of power.
However, as microgrids continue to grow, opposition from utilities is decreasing, and they are looking into creating a new revenue stream. They are taking this opportunity to become partners with microgrid owners and offer fee-based services, such as microgrid feasibility studies and designs.
Modernizing the Smart Grid from IEEE
Do you want to learn more about the smart grid? Check out Modernizing the Smart Grid, a four-course online learning program from IEEE.
One of the biggest frontiers in electrical engineering today is the development and implementation of smart grid technology. Fueled by the global demand for greener technologies and alternative fuels, environmentally-friendly smart grid technology can stimulate stagnated economies. It also has the potential to change the way power is delivered to electricity consumers around the world.
Modernizing the Smart Grid, now available on the IEEE Learning Network, is designed to get you and your team up to speed quickly on the latest smart grid technologies.
Interested in bulk discounts for your organization? Contact us today, and we’ll put you in touch with an IEEE Account Specialist.
Resources
Castagna, Rich. (16 January 2020). Microgrids Deliver Resiliency, Security and Savings. IoT World Today.