The burgeoning U.S. microgrid industry is set to install less controllable capacity this year than it did last year. But that setback may prove a temporary blip, especially if a new effort to back up the beleaguered Northern California grid comes to fruition.
The U.S. microgrid market set a record with 666 megawatts of capacity additions in 2018, but project delays and cancellations have dropped the expected 2019 total to 553 megawatts, according to a new report by energy research firm Wood Mackenzie. The methodology tracks controllable clusters of energy devices capable of independently powering 100 kilowatts or more for at least 24 hours.