Microgrid ‘energy parks’ could ease strain from rising power demand, report says

In order to accommodate spiking electricity demand in the U.S., the capabilities of the existing power system should be leveraged using tools like grid-enhancing technologies, and new loads should be co-located in “energy parks” — large microgrids — to minimize the need for transmission upgrades, according to a report that the Brattle Group prepared for the Clean Air Task Force.

The report recommends states and utilities consider “scaling up promising demand-side programs” and providing targeted incentives for them to customers. Energy efficiency technologies, distributed energy resources, time-varying rates and demand response can “create more headroom in the electricity system to accommodate more load growth,” it says.

The report also recommends avoiding the need for costly transmission upgrades as much as possible by creating energy parks, “where large electricity consumers are co-located with generation assets that can be dispatched for grid-related needs, which can offer significantly faster grid access for new loads.”

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