With Oregon, which promotes the country’s broadest legislation for private and community microgids, supporters see a difficult road but to promote rural energy delivery and resilience.
Governing Tina Kotek signed the law on July 17, the invoices of Casa 2065 and 2066, a companion legislation, which aims to increase access to microgids: localized energy systems capable of operating independently of the main mains during interruptions. “These new laws will help provide more online microgids and to provide cost savings to consumers from all parts of the state,” he said.
There are currently no community ownership microgids or operated in Oregon. Most are now owned by public services, governments or private companies. There are now 692 microgids operating in seven North -American -Alaska: Alaska, California, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Oklahoma and Texas, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions mentioned by the Schwabe, Williamson and Wyatt law firm on an update.
New laws, which come into force on January 1, aim to streamline the process of regulating and development of microgids in the state. HB 2065 requires public services to evaluate applications for microgrid interconnection based on clear safety standards and reliability. HB 2066 runs the Oregon Public Utility Commission to create a regulatory framework for both community and private microgids, and authorizes local governments to designate “ micrographic areas ” and allows large energy users, such as hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure to connect to micrographic systems.
“This is the most ambitious and complete legislation of the country,” says Dylan Kruse, president of the non-profit northwest in Portland, who defends microgid technology. “We have received calls from a dozen other states asking about it,” he adds, noting that the regulation of other states has been more in a pilot form.
Kruse says that the legislation provides “road rules” for regulators, municipalities, public services and private developers, with projects capable of “taking advantage of many more private resources”.
But Portland General Electric and Pacific Power, owned by investors, opposed the bills, which received almost unanimous legislative support. Companies argued that they duplicate existing processes and introduce safety risks by allowing third parties to access the energy infrastructure.
“We have seen other states swing, but more in a pilot form,” he said. Although the implementation will probably take a year or two, depending on the speed with the opuc, invoices could provide a model to other western states where network reliability and accessibility of power are growing.
Growth potential
“Microgids are one of the sectors in which we see the largest growth potential in the coming years,” says Karina Hershberg, an associate director of PAE Engineers, based in Portland. “Technology is maturing at the moment when need increases.”
Microgids are autonomous energy systems that can generate, store and distribute electricity locally, while also connecting to the largest network. Renewable sources often make up, storage of batteries or backup generators to create a power “island” during interruptions.
In the rural areas of the western states, where wildfires and public safety stops are becoming more common, microgids look like a tool for local energy resilience, maintaining the critical infrastructure that works even when the wider network is committed.
As regulators, municipalities, public services and investors work through the implementation of the legislation, Kruse says that it is optimistic that at the end of next year, “we hope that people begin to submit applications” for the development of microgids.
Hershberg is less safe, saying: “There are so many changes in the energy industry right now that it is difficult to predict any information even a couple of months ahead.” He also warns that the “road has not been made clear” for some projects as a result of federal renewable energy support.
