Modern society is heavily dependent on electricity. Nearly a century ago, electricity wasn’t common in homes and people relied on gas or candlelight. Today, individuals and businesses take full advantage of readily available electrical power to aid in daily life. 

But what happens when the power goes out? It’s a question plaguing Americans with increasing frequency as demand grows. Additionally, weather events like hurricanes, heat surges, and cold snaps regularly rob communities of the power that keeps the lights on and electronics functioning. 

Technological advances are rising to meet the unique power challenges people face today. One such solution is the microgrid, a system that’s designed to offer more reliable energy when the power grid isn’t enough.

Traditional Solutions to Supplement the Grid

In preparation for a loss of power, many businesses and homes have long relied on diesel-powered generators as a backup during planned outages like rolling blackouts or catastrophic events like seasonal storms. However, there are downsides to this solution.

Generators are labor intensive, requiring frequent refueling, and when the fuel runs out, so does the power. They also generate high levels of noise and greenhouse gases, which means businesses and communities are at greater risk when they are operated as backup power.

Innovative Solutions to Meet Modern Demand

With global warming creating more frequent and intense weather situations, resulting in power outages at the worst possible times, businesses are clamoring for solutions. Companies like Enchanted Rock are leading the way with natural gas microgrids. 

What are microgrids, though, and what makes them an attractive upgrade from traditional generators? Like a diesel generator, a microgrid is an onsite power solution that provides electricity when the grid goes offline. A microgrid is essentially a mini power grid designed specifically to provide power to a small target area, such as a commercial facility. Enchanted Rock creates systems that tap into reliable natural gas lines and switch over when the larger power grid fails.

“Natural gas provides an extensive underground fuel supply,” Allan Schurr, chief commercial officer of Enchanted Rock, explains, “allowing run time to be continuous, sometimes for weeks or months if the grid is unavailable.” With options for energy storage and systems that feed back to the power grid when not in use, microgrids address several pain points associated with diesel generators.

Who Can Benefit From Microgrids?

Microgrids are still an emerging technology. Because of the upfront costs they entail, the greatest demand is for business use, with companies like H-E-B and Walmart leading the way and entities like the U.S. Army upgrading resiliency for facilities.

However, they’re not just designed to serve a single-use commercial customer. They can also be centralized to serve multiple customers, potentially providing backup power for several homes and businesses in a community. With flexible solutions, ongoing innovation, and increasing demand for reliable and renewable energy solutions, microgrids look to be the future of backup power.

To learn more, check out this article by Energies Media.