Community microgrids are small and decentralized energy sources operated by individuals, rather than large companies, which offer consumers an alternative to their regional power conglomerates—small batch, artisan power, as it were. Public interest in community microgrids is picking up nationwide, and there are at least 800 people ready to sign on with LO3 Energy once their grids are fully functional, according to Lawrence Orsini, the company’s founder and CEO. Though the rush of interest in this sector is recent, Orsini estimates that the technology has existed for about 15 years. He attributes the recent surge in demand to the “era of personal choice,” as he calls it, wherein people want more choices over what they buy, sell, and use. “Electric car-charging infrastructure, using the transport system not only to transport people, but to transport energy back and forth, all of those things are fair game when you move to a decentralized energy system,” Orsini says. So don’t be surprised if the culture of homegrown goods soon expands to include energy.
The Atlantic (accessed) 28th Nov 2018 read more »