DOE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Micro-grid 2014 MVP Challenge, a competition to support resiliency and adaptation in communities across America.
The Challenge will recognize local organizations that have adopted successful grid strategies that are able to continue providing vital public services during power disruptions caused by severe weather and other events. As part of the Obama Administration’s Climate Action Plan, the competition advances the President’s commitment to helping the nation prepare for the impacts of climate change.
The Micro-grid 2014 MVP Challenge encourages organizations with operational micro-grids, such as hospitals and water treatment plants, to submit their micro-grid designs and operational data – such as when and how long the micro-grid was disconnected from the traditional grid.
The operational data will help the DOE learn more about micro-grid performance and capture sharable information about how micro-grids are being used to make communities more resilient. Entries will be judged according to four criteria: resiliency, clean-energy system, efficiency, and cost effectiveness.
“With economic and personal losses from electricity outages due to severe weather becoming greater each year, building in resiliency has assumed an even greater degree of urgency,” said Patricia Hoffman, Assistant Secretary for the DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. “This competition will help us gain a better understanding of benefits and lessons learned on how micro-grids can further enhance resiliency of the nation’s grid and promote a cleaner and more efficient, cost-effective power system.”
The Micro-grid 2014 MVP Challenge builds on efforts by the Superstorm Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to harness innovation in energy infrastructure and help communities become more resilient to future events. The DOE anticipates making one $100,000 award in each of the following categories:
- Healthcare facilities
- Emergency shelters, including housing and schools
- Municipal facilities, including police stations, fire stations, and water treatment plants
- Commercial facilities, including financial centers
- Industrial facilities and activities, such as transportation and critical manufacturing
- Other government facilities
The deadline for applying is Aug. 29. More information about the Micro-grid 2014 MVP Challenge is available at http://www.energy.gov/microgridchallenge.
