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Okra & Creeds Energy – 50 household mesh-grid pilot (Nigeria)
The pilot project in Bassa, Nigeria, utilized Okra's mesh-grid technology to create a 'Hub-and-Spoke' topology, allowing high-powered prosumers and businesses to share excess renewable energy with low-powered residential households. This configuration reduced the average CAPEX cost per connection from an initial estimate of $642 to $450 and enabled the energization of 46 more households than originally planned. The network currently maintains over 99% up-time, though the actual Average Revenue per User (ARPU) of ₦3,500 Naira is ₦500 lower than the ₦4,000 Naira target. Following the pilot's success, Creeds Energy is seeking funding for a 1,000-household scale-up across 18 additional locations.
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Document type: Case study
acciona.org Foundation – Luz en Casa Amazonia Microgrid Pilot Project in Copal Urco (Peru)
The Luz en Casa Amazonia Microgrid Pilot Project in Copal Urco, Peru, replaced a diesel-fed system that provided only three hours of daily power with a 33.5-kWp solar PV station and 95-kWh lithium battery storage. Funded with EUR 185,000 by acciona.org, the project provides at least six hours of electricity daily to 60 households and 24-hour power to schools, a health centre, and a community centre. The initiative avoids 50 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually and utilizes a pay-for-service model where users purchase kWh at a local centre. The project also supports local commerce through cooling systems and enabled online education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Document type: Case study
Surging Weather-related Power Outages
Between 2000 and 2021, the U.S. experienced 1,542 major weather-related power outages, with 83% of all reported major outages attributed to weather. The average annual number of these events increased by approximately 78% in the 2011-2021 decade compared to 2000-2010. Severe weather, winter weather, and tropical cyclones were the primary drivers, with the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast regions most affected. To address these vulnerabilities, the document suggests solutions such as microgrids, smart grid technologies, grid hardening, and bidirectional charging for electric vehicles.
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Document type: Fact sheet
SURGING POWER OUTAGES and Climate Change
Climate Central's analysis of U.S. power outage data from 2000-2021 reveals a significant increase in large-scale disruptions, with 83% of major outages attributed to weather-related events. The report highlights that the frequency of major outages rose by 64% between 2011-2021 compared to 2000-2010, driven by severe weather, winter storms, hurricanes, extreme heat, and wildfires. It emphasizes the vulnerability of aging infrastructure and the compounding effects of climate change, which simultaneously increases electricity demand for cooling while reducing the capacity of power plants due to water shortages. The report identifies the Southeast as the region with the highest number of outages and notes specific recent surges in Texas, California, and Michigan.
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Document type: Report
DUE NORTH: Facing the costs of climate change for Northern infrastructure
Northern Canada faces a double threat of inadequate existing infrastructure and a climate warming three times faster than the global average. Permafrost thaw is causing runways to warp, roads to collapse, and building foundations to crack. The report finds that while incremental adaptations like thermosyphons and embankment cooling can reduce costs, transformative adaptations—such as relocating infrastructure or leapfrogging to new technologies—are necessary for long-term resilience. The analysis highlights a significant 'infrastructure gap' rooted in colonial history, where many communities lack basic services like piped water and broadband internet, exacerbating the vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples.
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Document type: Report
The Potential of Hybrid Clean Energy Systems to Advance Energy and Climate Justice
The document examines how hybrid clean energy systems—specifically pairing solar generation with geothermal district heating and cooling—can address systemic energy injustices. It highlights that low-income communities and communities of color face higher risks from extreme heat and aging gas infrastructure, such as leaks in Massachusetts. The author advocates for a holistic approach, citing a Massachusetts pilot project that repurposes gas rights-of-way for geothermal networks and research from Croatia showing the efficiency of solar-geothermal hybrids. Such systems can reduce energy costs, eliminate methane emissions, and improve security through microgrid capabilities, provided that new market frameworks and data-processing technologies are implemented to manage the complexity of distributed energy systems.
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Document type: Briefing
Bringing Cities and Their Utilities into the 21st Century
The guide outlines five strategies for cities to leverage utility franchise agreement renegotiations: incorporating climate strategies, planning for equity, investing in resilient infrastructure, embracing collaboration, and understanding negotiation leverage. It highlights specific examples, such as San Diego's climate equity fund and Colorado's powerline undergrounding, to demonstrate how cities can align utility operations with community-wide clean energy goals.
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Document type: Guide
CASE STUDY Designing a Neighborhood Microgrid
The Union of Concerned Scientists used the HOMER Grid model to analyze microgrid configurations for Parker Village, a planned eight-acre development in Highland Park, Michigan. The analysis focused on a grid-separated (islanded) system powered by solar photovoltaic panels and battery storage to maximize community independence. Findings indicate that while a grid-separated microgrid is feasible, it requires significant solar and battery capacity and necessitates fossil fuel backup (natural gas or diesel) to meet winter peak demand. Alternatively, a grid-connected backup option reduces initial investment costs and battery requirements but maintains a dependency on the utility for approximately 2% of annual power demand. The study emphasizes that increasing building energy efficiency could reduce the necessary scale of energy resources and minimize reliance on fossil fuel backups.
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Document type: Case study
Designing a Neighborhood Microgrid
The document describes the use of HOMER Grid software to analyze solar and battery storage configurations for the Parker Village neighborhood in Highland Park, Michigan. It outlines financial assumptions, building stock electricity demand based on full electrification and heat pump use, and technology costs for solar PV, Tesla Powerpack storage, and backup generators. The analysis results in several recommended system configurations combining 1.1 MW of solar PV with varying levels of storage and backup options (diesel, natural gas, or grid connection) to ensure resilience and reliability.
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Document type: Report
Montserrat — Halfway on the Road to 100 Percent Renewables
Montserrat has reached 50 percent renewable energy installed capacity through the installation of a 750 kW solar system and 1 MWh battery storage, which powers 300 households. The project, supported by RMI, focused on hurricane resilience—designing for 180 mph wind speeds—and equity, as the utility-owned facility allows diesel savings to be shared among all customers via reduced fuel surcharges. While the island aims for 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030, further progress is constrained by the size of the economy and requires continued grant funding.
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Document type: Case study
Let Communities Choose: Clean Energy Sovereignty in Highland Park, Michigan
The document outlines the use of HOMER Grid software to optimize energy systems in Highland Park, MI, assuming investments made in 2023. It details building stock estimates, electricity rate tariffs from DTE Energy, and the impact of policy incentives like net metering and SRECs on payback periods for residential and commercial solar installations.
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Document type: Report
Bringing Reliable, Renewable Energy to the People
The Puerto Rico Community Energy Resilience Initiative (CERI) focuses on increasing energy resilience for low-to-moderate income communities by installing solar-plus-storage microgrids at critical facilities. Through pilot projects, CERI found that a community-driven approach, combined with flexible financing and technical assistance, is the most effective way to serve needs ignored by the current market. The initiative emphasizes local ownership to bolster local economies and the use of concessionary capital to make systems affordable for facilities with varying credit histories. Technical assistance is highlighted as essential for correct system sizing and procurement, while capacity building ensures long-term maintenance and sustainability.
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Document type: Case study
Cegasa – 200 kWh system in a private house within a community with limited access to the grid (Australia)
A residential project in Eagle Bay, Western Australia, integrated a 40 kWp solar PV system with a 207 kWh Cegasa battery bank to mitigate frequent grid blackouts. Deployed in May 2020, the system uses Selectronic inverters to manage high power consumption peaks and operates primarily as an off-grid solution while maintaining a grid connection.
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Document type: Case study
Q&A Frequently Asked Questions about Community-Level and Large-Scale Battery Energy Storage
The document provides a comprehensive Q&A on battery energy storage, distinguishing between behind-the-meter and front-of-the-meter systems. It highlights how storage enhances grid flexibility, supports renewable energy integration, and improves community resilience during extreme weather. While noting the environmental and health benefits of displacing fossil fuel plants, it addresses safety risks like thermal runaway and the ethical concerns surrounding the mining of lithium and cobalt. It emphasizes the need for inclusive stakeholder engagement and strong policy design to ensure equitable deployment and sustainable supply chains.
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Document type: Fact sheet
HOW-TO GUIDE Legislative Language for Equitable Energy Storage
The Union of Concerned Scientists outlines how state legislation can leverage energy storage to advance equity, focusing on replacing fossil fuel peaker plants, increasing community resiliency, and expanding access to distributed energy resources for low-income and overburdened communities.
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Document type: Guide
Schneider Electric – Matongo Birthing Clinic Microgrid (Kenya)
The Matongo Birthing Clinic in Kenya installed an 8.7 kW solar and storage microgrid to combat frequent power outages that previously deterred patients. Since August 2020, the facility has seen facility-based deliveries increase to 95%, reduced energy costs, and improved 24-hour operational reliability.
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Document type: Case study
Powering Healthcare Solutions Catalogue
The Powering Healthcare Solutions Catalogue provides a directory of companies offering off-grid energy systems and medical appliances for low-income regions. It highlights a variety of technical solutions, including plug-and-play systems, containerized microgrids, and solar-powered medical equipment, aimed at improving healthcare delivery in areas with unreliable electricity, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
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Document type: Guide
Okra – Steung Chrov Project (Cambodia)
The Okra – Steung Chrov Project deployed a 50 kWp / 300 kWh mesh-grid system to electrify 140 households across three remote Cambodian villages. The project, supported by the UNDP and the Cambodian government, utilized a plug-and-play hardware and software solution to overcome the impracticality of national grid extension and the commercial failure of conventional mini-grids. While the levelised cost of energy is USD 0.45/kWh, the system is sustainable on ongoing operations and maintenance costs under full utilization, with users paying a subsidized tariff of approximately $0.16/kWh.
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Document type: Case study
Cegasa – High Energy Storage System for a Mini Hybrid PV Solar Power Plant (Benin)
The project in Malenville, Benin, involves a 450 kWp roof-mounted photovoltaic solar power plant integrated with a Cegasa High Energy Storage solution. The system utilizes lithium LFP batteries with a storage capacity of 484 kWh (672 Vdc) to ensure a reliable power supply for the Juxtaposed Control Stations at the Benin-Niger border post, addressing the challenges of an underdeveloped local grid.
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Document type: Case study
4 Recommendations to Electrify the US Federal Fleet
The briefing outlines the challenges and solutions for electrifying the US federal fleet, which includes 225,000 postal, 173,000 military, and 245,000 civilian vehicles. It recommends creating a national EV roadmap, resolving grid constraints through microgrids and storage, leveraging bidirectional charging for grid co-benefits, and permanently retiring old vehicles to prevent emissions leakage via exports. The author emphasizes that the federal government's procurement power can reduce supply chain costs and provide a model for other fleets globally.
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Document type: Briefing