Energy management and automation specialist Schneider Electric has announced a new initiative to deploy resilient, community-based energy systems across the US. The initiative brings together more than 20 partners to support public and private sector organizations with innovative solutions and financing.
The Accelerating Resilient Infrastructure Initiative is designed to rapidly scope, finance and deploy resilient energy infrastructure, such as microgrids, while federal incentives remain available. Federal incentives are still available for clean energy projects, but the clock is running out, so timely planning is essential.
The initiative aims to help communities reduce reliance on the centralized grid, strengthen energy resilience and support sustainability by scaling distributed energy resources (DERs), including solar panels, battery energy storage, geothermal heat pumps and EV charging infrastructure.
Participants in the initiative include: Microsoft; infrastructure providers AlphaStruxure, AZZO, Celsius Energy, CDM Smith EVerged, Mainspring Energy, Pisgah Energy, Sprocket Power, Sunrock Distributed Generation, Sustainability Partners, Unison Energy, Verdant Microgrid and Viridi; consulting firms Arcadis, Baringa, Viridi Edge and Zurich Resilience Solutions; electrical distributor Graybar; and the nonprofit Resilient Cities Network.
“Communities are under increasing pressure to maintain reliable, affordable power in the face of aging infrastructure, extreme weather, rising demand and evolving cyber-threats,” said Jana Gerber, North American President of Microgrids for Schneider Electric. “Power outages cost the US economy an estimated $150 billion each year, so the need for resilient energy infrastructure has never been more urgent.”
Examples of resilient energy systems already being deployed include:
- AlphaStruxure microgrids at two bus depots in Montgomery County, Maryland, which will eventually support some 270 electric buses.
- A 2.9-megawatt solar and microgrid system across eight municipal buildings in Piscataway, New Jersey, which includes 28 EV charging stations and enough battery energy storage to provide up to five days of backup power.
- A microgrid in Murfreesboro, Tennessee that integrates solar, battery storage and smart energy management to serve 750,000 residents.
- A 4.2-megawatt solar project across 10 school buildings in Longview Independent School District, Texas, which is projected to save the district $450,000 annually in utility costs.
Source: Schneider Electric