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Community Microgrids: Navigating Roadblocks to Implementation

Summary

In this guest post by Paul Makris, senior vice president at Ameresco, the challenges and benefits of implementing community microgrids are discussed. The article emphasizes the increasing impact of grid outages caused by adverse weather and climate change on critical infrastructure, particularly water and wastewater treatment facilities. These outages can lead to sewage overflow and water supply disruptions, endangering public health. The piece highlights a case study involving the McKinleyville Community Services District (MCSD) in California, which struggled to establish a microgrid backup power solution due to various outages. The project's complexities included co-locating solar arrays, addressing public opposition, and integrating battery storage. The article underscores the importance of partnerships and innovative design in successfully implementing microgrid solutions, which provide energy resilience, cost savings, and environmental benefits to communities.

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