Energy Efficiency and Distributed Generation for Resilience: Withstanding Grid Outages for Less
Communities across the United States experience extreme weather-related events that lead to disruptions in electric service. In 2017 alone, the nation experienced droughts, floods, freezes, hurricanes, and wildfires that cumulatively cost over $300 billion in damages and led to longer and more frequent disruptions in power. Without on-site backup power, these disruptions endanger public safety, security, and health. To better prepare for future disruptions, state and local governments are reducing the electric demand of their critical operations through energy efficiency, as well as making new investments in microgrids with distributed generation to ensure continuous electric supply during extended grid outages to power critical facilities. This resource describes how energy efficiency can be integrated planning for microgrids for resilience at critical public facilities, lowering the cost of a new system that can sustain operation during a grid outage. It includes real world examples as well as modeled scenarios to illustrate how efficiency can achieve energy and cost savings.
- Research Organization:
- EERE Publication and Product Library, Washington, D.C. (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Weatherization & Intergovernmental Program (EE-5W) (Weatherization & Intergovernmental Program Corporate)
- OSTI ID:
- 1668151
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/GO-102019-5186; 8314
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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