What happens when the power goes out? Citizens could lose their ability to connect online for work or education, homes could be damaged due to lack of necessary heating or cooling, and access to medical treatment or other critical resources would be impaired. Businesses would have to close temporarily, the supply chain disrupted, and telecommunication outages would hinder all types of communications.
Power outages are sadly no longer news to many populations as the list of disruptions and impacts to safe and reliable power are seemingly growing each year with hurricanes, wildfires and floods, among other natural and humanmade disasters. These events can have devastating impacts where power outages are lasting for days to weeks, further slowing recovery. Energy security is essential for industries and their remote sites, and access to electricity is a societal expectation to support day to day needs.
Energy demands continue to increase adding pressure to the grid. As we continue to respond to extreme weather events, growing population and the expanded requirement to learn, work and connect more online we must bridge the energy gap. This puts strain on an already aging power grid and continues to cause interruption. The continued outages are disruptive, expensive, and dangerous, but what if they are avoidable?
A proven solution that has been in practice for decades that negates the effects of natural and humanmade disasters is the implementation of microgrids. These small-scale power structures and their ability to disconnect from the grid provide their own power locally and have been servicing some of the world’s most critical assets. Microgrids are commonly applied to support large businesses to maintain power supply during outages. Modern microgrids have been deploying renewable energy sources, using available new technology and are a necessary step for achieving ambitious and essential carbon reduction goals.
To provide these resilient systems, strengthen our communities and promote a carbon reduction plan, Wood’s Vice President of Energy, Steve Kiser, says a different approach to power generation and delivery will be pivotal.
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