Driven By Power Outages And Savings, Towns Look To Microgrid

The decision by Nassau to rely on solar, wind, landfill gas and battery storage by 2020 puts the town of 5,000 near Albany on the leading edge of a national campaign to develop "microgrids" designed to make communities more energy independent and the grid more resilient. While only a few communities have become early adopters and natural disasters have been a driving force, proponents say there is also growing interest nationwide from places looking to save money by selling excess power to utilities and to help the environment. Tipping points for Nassau came during ice storms that knocked out power in 2008 and 2009, when front-end loaders had to be used to open the heavy highway department doors so sand trucks could get on the road because a small generator couldn't handle the lift, town Supervisor David Fleming said. "The town found itself in a vulnerable position when the aging infrastructure would fail," Fleming said, adding that the planned renewable energy switch would cover the town hall, the highway garage, and police and fire departments. Built with the help of a $1.1 million state program, Fairfield's system combines a natural gas-powered generator and solar panels at the emergency shelter and fire station, which are connected to each other, the police station and cellphone towers.

Topics:  albany   tipping   supervisor david fleming   built   fairfield   nassau   fleming   power   microgrid   town   station   energy   solar   natural   highway   communities   generator   fire   police   
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