Wicked Local
Cohasset’s Alternative Energy Committee is educating its town and the rest of Massachusetts on examples of microgrid technology with virtual tours every Monday through March.
A microgrid is a small-scale group of electricity sources that is decentralized from large-scale utilities and the grid. Microgrids are combinations of local generation, storage, and software that allows for in-place electrical service during outages or when prices are high. If you have a backup generator, solar energy array or battery, you have what is known as a Distributed Energy Resource (“DER”), which serves as the building blocks of microgrids. Although the technology already exists, it has been commercially prohibitive. This is now changing as costs are driven down, tax credits are extended, and Massachusetts state programs such as SMART 2.0 are available to offset the cost. As a result, a number of entities ranging from Cohasset residents to large companies operating in the power sec