Back

Director's Picks

Mahmoud Kabalan on Texans Investing in Microgrids for Winter Resiliency

Summary

The Center for Microgrid Research at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, not to be confused with the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, is expanding its efforts to address energy resiliency challenges, supported by federal and state investments. Led by Associate Professor Mahmoud Kabalan, the Center focuses on microgrid technologies that operate 24/7, generating and supplying power alongside the main grid. Utilizing energy sources like solar, natural gas, and diesel, microgrids are increasingly adopted in states like Texas to enhance reliability during extreme weather. Kabalan emphasizes their critical role in providing resilient, localized energy solutions. This expansion contributes to integrating renewable energy and bolstering infrastructure resilience, aligning with national clean energy and security goals.

discover more

January 15, 2026
Economic Justice
Economic Justice

Neptune Flood proposes phasing out the National Flood Insurance Program, arguing private insurers can better assess risk using AI. Critics warn this shift may leave flood-prone...

January 12, 2026
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

The Trump administration's E.P.A. will no longer include the monetary value of human lives saved from pollution reductions in rulemaking. This shift may ease the repeal...

January 2, 2026
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

Environmental groups have filed suit against the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy, claiming it violated legal and constitutional obligations...

December 10, 2025
Climate Justice
Climate Justice

EPA removed fossil-fuel references from its climate causes page, emphasizing natural factors. Scientists and former officials say the change misleads the public...

November 18, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

Fossil fuel companies are massively expanding plastic production to offset declining fuel demand. This shift drives pollution, harms public health...

October 24, 2025
Urban & Development
Urban & Development

In northeast Houston, residents are creating solar-powered “hub homes” to serve as community refuges during power outages, filling the gap left by the lack of formal resilience...

October 2, 2025
Environmental
Environmental

Houston’s air pollution, especially PM2.5, is rising again, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities near industry...

September 22, 2025
Urban & Development
Urban & Development

Internal documents and whistleblower accounts reveal that Trump appointees at HUD have gutted enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, slashing staff, blocking cases,

September 12, 2025
Human Health
Human Health

Houston leads major U.S. cities in poverty, with 21.2% of residents—over 500,000 people—living below the federal threshold...

September 2, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

After 26 years at EPA, environmental justice pioneer Charles Lee retires and joins Howard University’s Environmental and Climate Justice Center, arguing that despite Trump...

August 29, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

Two decades after Hurricane Katrina, overlooked survivors are reclaiming their narratives through TikTok, challenging long-standing portrayals from 2005.

August 11, 2025
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice

The Sierra Club fired Executive Director Ben Jealous after no-confidence votes, budget cuts, layoffs, and misconduct concerns. Union leaders welcomed his departure...

August 11, 2025
Environmental
Environmental

U.S. clean hydrogen projects are collapsing amid shortened tax credit deadlines, rising energy costs, and policy shifts, leaving most proposals ineligible and investors...

August 5, 2025
Climate Justice
Climate Justice

A coalition of nonprofits, tribes, and local governments filed a class-action lawsuit against the EPA, demanding reinstatement of a $3bn climate justice grant program halted...

August 3, 2025
Climate
Climate

The Trump administration’s move to revoke the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases marks a major policy reversal, undermining decades of climate protections...