MICROGRIDS: Shifting to More Reliable Energy
By Chardae Heim I n the fresh produce industry, reliable energy is essential to running an operation and maintaining the integrity of the product. With storm-related power outages and public safety power shut-offs plaguing California and contributing to significant damages among agricultural businesses, the industry is beginning to explore alternative energy options. In the traditional utility structure, the power grid is centered around population hubs. As you get further away from these city centers, the infrastructure begins to taper, which is significant for California growers who often operate on the edge of these centralized power grids. Consequently, the quality and stability of energy can oftentimes be unpredictable in rural communities. When adding unforeseen power outages to the equation—in particular, during harvest season—it can be difficult for growers to plan their production and preserve the fruits of their labor accordingly, and the economic impact can be devastating. Unlike other businesses that can simply make up their work at a later date, the timing of cultivation practices and harvest is everything for fresh produce operation; there are crops to irrigate and harvest and coolers to keep cold. In addition to the disruption-related costs of power outages,
the cost of energy itself is on the rise. Over the past several years, energy costs have risen by as much as 20 percent in some agricultural areas, forcing growers to explore innovative ways to achieve power independence. One concept that has emerged to help farmers gain this energy independence is microgrids—intelligent, renewable and localized electricity sources that have the capability to disconnect from traditional grids to operate autonomously. Microgrids incorporate renewable energy sources and serve as a reliable way to achieve operational resilience and economic certainty. “Because they can operate while the main grid is down, microgrids help mitigate disturbances. Microgrids utilize intermittent renewable generation—like wind and solar—as well as dispatchable resources like cogeneration and batteries,” stated Concentric Power’s CEO and founder Brian Curtis. Curtis further explained that microgrids are controlled by integrated software and hardware technologies that manage the power sources and distribute the energy to the power users according to their needs. Microgrids also use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify ways to achieve better results and manage assets.
16 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com MARCH | APRIL 2020
Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software