Georgia could do this. Or the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority could do it locally. At least one student at Georgia Southern did a thesis on a mcirogrid there. Where’s VSU? Wiregrass Tech? ABAC?

Katherine Tweed, Greentechmedia, 9 July 2015, New York Looks to Cement Its Lead as Microgrid Capital of the World,

The NY Prize community microgrid competition issued a request for proposals in February to grant $100,000 to as many as 30 communities to study the feasibility of microgrids.

This week, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority announced 83 winners for the first stage of the competition, nearly three times the original estimate of awardees. NYSERDA received applications from more than 120 communities.

“The large number of awardees for microgrid feasibility studies does indicate that NYSERDA is serious about investigating different microgrid business models,” said Omar Saadeh, senior grid analyst with GTM Research and author of the new report, North American Microgrids 2015: Advancing Beyond Local Energy Optimization.  

“I feel like we poked a sleeping giant,” said Micah Kotch, director of NY Prize and strategic adviser for innovation at NYSERDA. “In the 21st century, energy is a community issue. This is really big signal that communities want to have a say in their energy future.”

…

The winners, most of which are municipalities, will partner with other entities, including the local utility, community organizations, third-party energy consultants and energy companies.

The majority of the proposals center around building microgrids that leverage solar, combined heat and power, and energy storage. A few also propose the inclusion of everything from wind to fuel cells to tidal power.

-jsq

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