Ever since Superstorm Sandy caused massive power outages across 17 states in the US, Microgrids have gained attention as a reliable way to ensure power continuity when the main grid fails.
Microgrid solutions provide a way to manage power locally while it’s connected to the main power grid or independently in "island mode". They also integrate renewable resources like solar and wind energy for power generation, making them a great option for reducing emissions and combating climate change.
If you’re considering microgrid power solutions for your business, then this guide by Curtis Power Solutions is the one for you. This article explains what microgrids are and five ways they can improve power reliability for your businesses.
A microgrid is more than just a backup power generator. It coordinates multiple energy resources and electrical loads through controls that determine how power is generated, stored, and distributed.
Depending on the application, a microgrid may incorporate utility power, generators, solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and controllable loads. This gives businesses more flexibility than relying on a single source of electricity.
Here are five ways microgrid solutions can improve power reliability :
A microgrid can disconnect from the utility grid when an outage occurs and continue supplying electricity to critical loads. It can use generators, battery storage, or other distributed energy resources depending on its design to keep your essential operations running.
Power interruptions can quickly lead to production delays, equipment shutdowns, data loss, or other operational problems. A microgrid provides an additional layer of resilience by allowing businesses to maintain power to their most important systems when grid service is unavailable.
Power reliability isn't just about preventing complete outages. Microgrid controls can help manage voltage, frequency, and power flow, which can be important for facilities operating sensitive equipment or processes that depend on a stable electricity supply.
Microgrid power solutions can coordinate several energy sources, including utility power, generators, solar, and battery storage. This allows businesses to balance the resources available to them and maintain power more efficiently. You can also use battery energy storage systems (BESS) to store excess generation, smooth out power quality, and respond quickly to load shifts or outages.
Severe weather and other grid disruptions can result in prolonged power outages as seen during events such as Superstorm Sandy. This is particularly detrimental for businesses that rely heavily on electricity. By providing localized generation and storage using BESS, microgrid energy solutions can help facilities remain operational even when the wider grid is unavailable.
You can also check our Microgrids 201 Guide to learn more about microgrid energy solutions.
Microgrids and traditional backup power systems can both improve reliability, but they serve different purposes. While microgrids actively manage and optimize daily power use while offering backup power, traditional backup power systems including power generators remain on standby until the main grid fails.
Here is a detailed comparison of microgrid solutions and traditional backup power.
For more information about backup power generators, you can check our 101 Guide on Commercial Generator Rental.
Microgrids can make sense for organizations where power interruptions have significant operational or financial consequences.
These industries include:
Whether microgrids are the best option for your business depends on your facility's loads, existing electrical infrastructure, outage risks, energy goals, and budget. You can also check out our Guide on Microgrids to learn more about microgrid power solutions.
A microgrid should be designed around your facility and its energy needs. You should select a microgrid solution after careful consideration of cost, technical compatibility, and your local utility rules. Let’s discuss the factors that you should consider before implementing a microgrid in detail.
Start by determining how much electricity your facility uses, including peak demand and how loads change throughout the day. The generation capacity of your microgrid should match the loads it is expected to support.
Identify which systems must remain operational during an outage. Separating critical loads from non-essential loads can significantly affect the size and design of your microgrid system.
You can incorporate your existing standby generators into a broader energy strategy rather than replacing them outright. Understanding their capacity, condition, controls, and connection requirements is an important part of this planning.
You can also integrate solar and other distributed energy resources where they make technical and financial sense. Their availability and variability should also be considered when you’re determining how much power generation and storage your facility needs.
Microgrid energy solutions can include battery storage to provide short-duration energy, support load management, and work alongside your other generation sources. The battery capacity you require depends on your facility's load profile and resilience objectives.
The microgrid must be designed around your facility's utility connection and applicable interconnection requirements. Islanding, protection, controls, and safe reconnection all need to be addressed during system design.
Microgrids can involve significant upfront investment and technical complexity. That’s why you should always evaluate both the resilience benefits and potential operational or energy-management savings.
Consider where your facility's power requirements are heading and not just where they are today. Electrification, expanded production, EV charging, data infrastructure, and other new loads can change the amount of power your facility needs. Planning for these future requirements can prevent you from designing a system that becomes undersized as your operations grow.
You can check out our guide Microgrids 301 to learn how you can combine multiple power systems together with intelligent controls.
A microgrid can give businesses greater control over how they generate, store, and use electricity. However, building resilience doesn't always require jumping directly into a permanent microgrid installation. Instead, you can always try temporary Generator Rental.
At Curtis Power Solutions, we offer mobile generator rentals from 22 kW to 2,000 kW along with our microgrid solutions and options for paralleling generators, delivery, setup, fuel management, cable, containment, and load-bank testing.
Our rental fleet can support your emergency power, scheduled maintenance, construction, remote operations, and other temporary applications. We also provide microgrid solutions through our partnership with mtu, giving businesses access to both permanent microgrid technologies and temporary generator solutions.
Microgrid power solutions can strengthen your business’s power reliability by combining local generation, energy storage, intelligent controls, and load management into a coordinated system. For businesses with critical operations, this can mean greater resilience during outages, more flexibility in how energy is managed, and better preparation for future power requirements.
The key is to start with your business's critical loads, power requirements, outage risks, and long-term goals and then build the right power strategy around them.
For businesses that need temporary or emergency generation capacity, Curtis Power Solutions can provide microgrid solutions and mobile generator rentals. Contact Us to discuss your power needs.
Microgrids have four common components including energy generation, energy storage, distribution infrastructure, and intelligent control systems.
Microgrid solutions improve your power reliability by operating independently from the main utility grid during outages. They intelligently balance local energy supply and demand.
Yes, microgrid solutions are well-suited for commercial and industrial facilities that require high reliability, lower energy costs, and sustainable operations.
Yes, microgrids can fully integrate renewable energy and battery storage into your localized energy systems.This can allow them to disconnect from the main utility grid during outages and use stored renewable energy to keep your critical infrastructure running.
Businesses that benefit the most from microgrid solutions include hospitals, data centers, and large industrial and commercial facilities.