Microgrid Knowledge – Microgrid Talk: What’s the single statistic microgrid customers need to understand?

Mike Byrnes, senior vice president of Veolia North America, wishes his customers had a better grasp of the statistics related to utility rate structures. He notes that defining utility rate structures is very difficult because they vary across the country and in every utility area. But understanding how your utility rates are structured is key to realizing the value of a microgrid. According to Byrnes, “Most people don’t understand the difference between their variable and their demand, and how different that is when you go to a microgrid.”

The aging grid infrastructure is one of the energy statistics that is top of mind for Jim Fonger, Canadian vice president at Ameresco. He cites a Department of Energy statistic that says 70% of the utility grid transmission lines and transformers are more than 25 years old, while large-scale generation plants are more than 30 years old. He explains that microgrids are “a much more efficient way of upgrading that infrastructure and providing greater control in terms of how it’s used.”

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