Microgrid
A microgrid is a localized network of electricity sources and loads that can operate independently or in conjunction with the larger power grid. This technology has gained traction in various countries, including the United States, as a potential solution to enhance energy security and reliability. Microgrids can utilize multiple energy sources, including renewable options like solar and wind, alongside traditional fossil fuels, allowing for a flexible and sustainable energy supply. They are particularly valuable for storing energy, enabling users to harness and utilize power generated during peak production times, such as sunny or windy days, even when conditions change.
The development of microgrids can foster greater self-sufficiency, as communities or organizations can generate their own power and manage their energy needs more effectively. In the event of a major power outage or security threat, microgrids can disconnect from the larger grid to maintain service, thereby increasing resilience. As concerns over the aging infrastructure of conventional power grids grow, microgrids are being explored as a way to improve overall energy stability and reduce the risks associated with large-scale energy disruptions. This approach reflects a broader trend toward decentralized energy systems that prioritize local generation and sustainability.
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Subject Terms
Microgrid
A microgrid is a small group of electricity sources and loads. It is a smaller version of the electric grid, which is a conventional grid that powers homes and businesses. Microgrids have become a popular idea in the United States and other countries as experts believe that creating smaller, self-sustaining grids can help mitigate some of the problems that come from relying completely on the general power grid, such as security threats and large-scale power outages. Microgrids can generate power and work independently, or can connect to the larger energy grid. The US government and other organizations have begun to develop microgrids that can act independently or work with the larger parts of the US power grid.
Background
Humans have harnessed energy to meet their needs for all of human history. People used the sun to dry food and animal hides. Eventually, they learned to harness fire and use its thermal energy to cook food. In time, people learned to also use thermal energy to power machines such as engines. In the late 1800s, people learned to generate electricity through thermal energy and transmit it through wires. It was the discovery of converting thermal energy into kinetic energy that changed civilizations forever. Modern human life would not be possible without that development.
People began creating small power plants and disseminating their power through wires to local businesses and homes. Usually, factories and other businesses paid to use the electricity, so they could run machines. This system essentially created small power grids. Yet, the system was problematic because it did not provide electricity to many people. Furthermore, the power was inconsistent because the grids were connected to each other. Over time, however, people saw the benefit of combining these small grids into a larger system. The US power grid expanded greatly in the 1940s when the New Deal helped create the Rural Electrification Administration, whose goal was to provide power to many rural parts of the country. Today, the United States is covered in hundreds of thousands of miles of overhead and underground power lines.
Many experts are concerned about the state of the US power grid. Some of the parts of the grid are very old. Much of the technology people use in the US energy grid today is the same as the technology people used when the parts of the grid were first installed. Furthermore, most parts of the US energy grid are not secure. With hundreds of thousands of miles of wires and countless power stations and substations around the country, it is difficult to protect the grid from potential terrorist attacks or sabotage. Many experts believe that the United States must rework its energy grid to make it safer, more reliable, and more efficient. One way that experts want to help improve the US power grid is by introducing additional microgrids.
Overview
Microgrids are basically smaller versions of the overall power grid. These microgrids include their power supplies and sinks, which are devices that use the electricity that is supplied. Microgrids can use energy from multiple sources. One reason that microgrids are becoming more popular is that they can easily be powered by onsite energy generation such as wind turbines and solar panels. Microgrids can also be connected to the general energy grid and use electricity generated from that grid as well. Having the flexibility of changing the source of the energy allows microgrids to use renewable energy for a great deal of their energy production while still having the reliability of conventional energy sources such as fossil fuels. Nearly 67 percent of electricity in the United States is generated by burning fossil fuels. Therefore, microgrids will be more reliable if they have the option to use energy generated from fossil fuels.
Another reason that microgrids are important tools is that they can help store energy for future use. Right now, two of the most common types of renewable energy in the United States are solar and wind. These types of energy are produced by solar energy and wind energy and could potentially help humans reduce the burning of fossil fuels, which is contributing to climate change. However, one major reason that these renewable energy sources are not as popular as fossil fuels is that they are not made on demand. When a person who gets electricity from a coal-burning power plant requests energy, that person can demand the energy from the power grid, and one of the nearby power plants will burn more coal to make electricity. A person using a solar panel cannot make the sun appear if it is behind a cloud or if Earth is pointing in the wrong direction. Microgrids could help people store energy to use in the future. So, solar panels could make and store energy on a particularly sunny day. Then people connected to the microgrid could use that energy on a cloudy day when the solar panel will not produce electricity.
Some groups of people prefer to use microgrids because they allow for more self-sufficiency. Some large companies or building developments create microgrids. Think of the example of a building development that creates its own microgrid. The microgrid could be powered by solar panels on the buildings in the development. When the microgrid generates a large amount of electricity on a sunny, cloudless day, the development could send that energy back to the main electric grid. The development would pay for the energy it produced. Then, when it is cloudy and the development cannot create its own electricity via its solar panels, the microgrid could collect energy from the larger power grid and transmit that energy to the buildings in the development. The development would also be better protected against large-scale blackouts. If a large-scale blackout hit the region where the development was located, the development’s microgrid could disconnect from the larger grid and generate its own electricity. Furthermore, developments or cities with microgrids could be better protected from sabotage or a terrorist attack. In the same way, if hackers gain control of the main power grid, they may have problems taking control over individual microgrids. Having many microgrids all around the country could help prevent major power outages and be the best way to ensure that people will be able to use electricity despite attacks on the grid.
Bibliography
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