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Title: Check the Stack: An Enabling Framework for Resilient Microgrids

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1483066· OSTI ID:1483066
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  1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Highly destructive natural disasters have illustrated the fragility of critical infrastructure including emergency services, healthcare, and water treatment during long-term electricity outages. One pathway to increase the resilience of critical infrastructure amidst disruptions to grid systems is developing microgrids, particularly those that incorporate solar photovoltaics (PV) and energy storage. This document defines a resilient microgrid as a set of interconnected load that includes critical infrastructure and distributed energy resources with the ability to island from the grid during an outage. Research is limited with respect to how much critical infrastructure could benefit from microgrids, how many states have pursued this prioritization approach, and what policies need to be in place to support more widespread deployment. This report explores each of these questions to offer the industry and policymakers a clearer understanding of the opportunity for resilient microgrids and how policy can be designed to support this market.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1483066
Report Number(s):
NREL/TP-6A20-71594
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English