Houston is currently in the midst of an unprecedented population boom. Its metro area added nearly 140,000 residents in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Additionally, the city has become a significant hub for many industries, from data centers to finance institutions to businesses in the energy and healthcare sectors.

With so much activity, Houston has very little room for error when it comes to its energy resilience. But the city has already experienced a multitude of issues on that front, ranging from fast-moving windstorms to the destructive Hurricane Beryl that made landfall in June 2024. 

These and similar events have produced severe power outages, leaving residents without things like cooling or warming centers or places to get food, water, and Wi-Fi following devastating storms. Additionally, these disasters have threatened the operations of large medical centers and the oil and gas supply chain, which relies heavily on Texas’ ports.

Houston City Leaders Seek Swift Solutions

Fortunately, Houston’s city leaders understand the urgency of the problems at hand, and many are actively seeking quick solutions. They know that as weather conditions become more unpredictable, reliable solutions are needed to ensure that every person and business has access to the energy they need to keep going and stay safe. 

With that in mind, officials have set a goal of building a dozen “resilience centers” throughout the city. Their efforts are set to begin at the Kashmere Multi-Service Center, and they’re looking for energy solutions that can be easily scaled and will provide reliable power, even in the face of high winds, extreme heat, and serious flooding.

An Answer Emerges: Microgrids to the Rescue

Having thoroughly evaluated their options for the resilience center project, Houston officials have settled on partnering with Texas-based microgrid provider Enchanted Rock to help them build and provide resilient microgrids for city neighborhoods. The company was able to help H-E-B grocery stores keep the lights on after Hurricane Beryl, and it is hoping for the same results for the citywide project.

“Our longstanding partnership with the city of Houston centers on identifying and addressing their priority reliability projects — big or small — and delivering precise solutions,” said Todd Price, Senior Vice President of North American Market Development at Enchanted Rock.

The microgrid-powered hubs in each of the 12 neighborhoods involved in the project are designed to help people connect and get supplies when natural disasters strike. That, in turn, will give city officials some much-needed peace of mind and ensure they don’t need to worry about residents in these vulnerable areas getting what they need in critical times.

Building Environmentally Friendly Resilience One City at a Time

Perhaps one of the best things about Enchanted Rock’s microgrids is that they’re more reliable and environmentally friendly than diesel generators, which are common solutions for energy resilience. With so much expansion going on in Houston, many of its leaders feel good about building more energy infrastructure without significantly increasing its carbon footprint in the process.

In fact, Enchanted Rock’s microgrid solution is so sound that other cities are looking to incorporate resilience hubs in their own neighborhoods. These include Sacramento, California, and Baltimore, Maryland, the latter of which just received a $50 million grant from the Department of Energy. 

As microgrid solutions continue to grow in popularity, many public officials hope they will serve communities well and keep residents safe. To learn more, read the original article by Lisa Cohn.