The UCSD Microgrid – Showing the Future of Electricity … Today

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) operates a microgrid that manages 42 megawatts of generating capacity, including solar photovoltaics, a cogeneration plant, and a landfill-gas fuel cell. This system allows the campus to optimize energy costs and 'island' from the main grid during emergencies, such as the September 2011 blackout affecting Southern California, Arizona, and Mexico.

• The UCSD microgrid manages a diverse energy portfolio totaling 42 megawatts of generating capacity, which consists of a central cogeneration plant, solar photovoltaic installations, and a fuel cell powered by reclaimed landfill natural gas.
• The system enables the campus to disconnect from the larger electricity grid to maintain power during emergencies, a capability demonstrated during a power blackout in September 2011 that impacted Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Southern California.
• The microgrid serves as a tool for operators to minimize costs by managing energy generation and storage resources, while acting as a laboratory for optimizing local resource use in response to market signals from the main grid.

APA

RMI (2012). The UCSD Microgrid – Showing the Future of Electricity … Today. https://rmi.org/resources/the_ucsd_microgrid_showing_the_future_of_electricity_today/

Chicago

RMI. The UCSD Microgrid – Showing the Future of Electricity … Today. 2012. https://rmi.org/resources/the_ucsd_microgrid_showing_the_future_of_electricity_today/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=The UCSD Microgrid – Showing the Future of Electricity … Today |date=18 January 2012 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/the_ucsd_microgrid_showing_the_future_of_electricity_today/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2012ucsd, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{The UCSD Microgrid – Showing the Future of Electricity … Today}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2012}, month = jan, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/the_ucsd_microgrid_showing_the_future_of_electricity_today/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }