The city of Houston bore the brunt of Hurricane Beryl this past summer, resulting in a loss of electricity for millions of people who were fully reliant on a power grid system that took time to repair. Residents turned to diesel-powered generators to keep medicine and food intact, but generators quickly ran out, and fuel became scarce. 

These power grid failures make the problem of having such a centralized energy system evident. All of the issues became even more clear when compared with the few places where the lights were still on. Hospitals, groceries, wastewater treatment plants — all of these are powered by gas-fired microgrids.

Why Power Grids Fail

Hurricane Beryl was a category 1 storm. Should it have caused the power outages it did? The problem didn’t come down to broken infrastructure like transmission towers but to the low-voltage lines that connect businesses and homes to the grid. Getting everything up and running required a significant amount of time. 

If the weaknesses of the power grid system rest on the poles and wires you see every time you step outside, it’s up to the state to take action and prevent the next outage. But the government hasn’t taken the necessary steps yet. 

Diesel-powered generators are the go-to solution for most people, but they’re not as dependable in an emergency as is needed. There aren’t enough of them, for one thing, and they can also be dangerous. 

Additionally, not buying the right ones when dealing with a broken-down power grid can make them useless. That’s what happened in Houston this summer, sparking anger among residents who were depending on those generators. 

Gas Generators and Microgrids: Offering Real Solutions

The real answer to the outage problem lies in gas generators and microgrids. That’s something that Enchanted Rock’s chief commercial officer, Allan Schurr, knows very well. 

Of the 155 microgrids the company installed in Houston, 146 of them offered power after the grid went down. Some of these ran for 162 hours straight. 

“Our customers have paid with their own money for reliability,” Schurr says. And that’s exactly what he’s offering. 

But the benefits of microgrids go beyond storm-brought power outages. Enchanted Rock’s clients use the grids to create energy on-site and reduce their dependence on utilities. That’s essential throughout the country, but especially in Texas, where the grid is straining even at the best of times. 

One of the challenges is getting the energy to those who need it but may not be able to afford the high price tag. Enchanted Rock is helping with this, as well, by combining with the Public Utility Commission of Texas to place a community microgrid in Houston. 

This grid would power a whole neighborhood. It would have a gas-fueled generator as well as rooftop solar systems, EV chargers, and batteries.  

The search for a perfect strategy to prevent the outages that rocked the Houston area after Beryl continues, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the solution rests in distributed energy and microgrids. 

Learn more about this by reading the original article at Canary Media.