By Ben Weiner
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14 Sep, 2021
With the increasing number of extreme weather events affecting every corner of the Country, the reliability of the utility grid has become an increasing concern. Whether it is a deep freeze in Texas or a hurricane hitting New York City, power outages worsen the lasting impacts of these extreme events. What can be done to solve this growing problem? One answer is to create a more "distributed" electricity grid. Our current electricity grid consists mainly of larger electricity generation facilities (think of coal plants, nuclear plants, etc...) sending electricity across a vast area of populations. This design means more people relying on a single energy producing facility. When extreme weather affects one of these plants, many people are affected! Now picture an electricity grid that consists of many more smaller, "distributed", energy generation facilities. There can be fields and rooftops covered in solar panels, wind turbines on ridges, and batteries in garages. The population is less reliant on a single power plant, and in many cases are even producing their own electricity from solar on their roof!