Microgrids for Energy Access in Remote and Islanded Communities Under Natural Disasters – Context of Lombok Island Indonesia

Natural disasters (NDs) including earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and other high-impact natural phenomena cause significant power outages that interrupt human activity and industrial output. Natural disaster mitigation in the energy sector requires sophisticated control strategies, operations, and vulnerabilities. In literature, different Microgrids (MGs) configurations are adapted in such scenarios which can endure low-probability and high-impact (LPHI) occurrences because of their compact size, manageable loads, and constrained bounds. Ad hoc MGs that are low-power, transportable, and containerized can be used in emergencies by supplying electricity for critical loads. This paper includes an overview of the history of power system resilience, resilience-enhancing techniques, …

Case Study: Hurricane Helene – Hot Springs Microgrid

During Hurricane Helene, heavy rains and flooding forced the shutdown of Duke Energy’s Marshall Substation, resulting in a prolonged power outage that could have left Hot Springs without electricity for over 262 hours. However, Duke Energy activated the Hot Springs Microgrid on October 2, 2024, maintaining and supplying power to the town center for 143.5 hours.

This case study examines the microgrid’s success in leveraging solar PV and battery storage to provide emergency power to the Western North Carolina community of Hot Springs during Hurricane Helene. The case study also highlighted the microgrid’s broader benefits. It includes how Duke Energy …

Draft Connecticut Climate Resilient Energy Code

The draft Connecticut Climate Resilient Energy code is a voluntary code intended to cover the installation of climate resilient energy systems and the provision of power to critical services during grid outages. The code covers the installation of climate resilient energy systems including solar, energy storage, and efficient heating and cooling to maintain living conditions and power essential services for affordable housing residents sheltering in place during grid outages. The code requires minimum levels of onsite backup power, as well as controls and procedures that reduce energy demand during outages and improved building envelope standards and other measures that increase …

National Nuclear Security Administration: Explosives Program Is Mitigating Some Supply Chain Risks but Should Take Additional Actions to Enhance Resiliency

According to National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) documentation, the explosives supply chain is vulnerable to risks, such as material supply and manufacturing challenges. GAO found 66 total NNSA-identified risks across the agency’s 11 key explosives products supply chains. Agency officials told us the risks facing the explosives program, if not addressed, could result in delays to nuclear weapons modernization programs and newly designed weapons. NNSA has taken some steps to mitigate these risks, such as maintaining stockpiles of at-risk materials and identifying new domestic suppliers.

NNSA’s nearly $4 billion of existing explosives infrastructure—at five contractor-operated sites that design, produce, and …

Case Study: Thermal Energy Storage at Purchase College, State University of New York

Purchase College partnered with RTC Solutions Provider Brenmiller Energy and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to implement thermal energy storage (TES) at Purchase College’s physical education building. Completed in 2023, this $2.5 million project features a Brenmiller bGen™ TES unit paired with a combined heat and power (CHP) microturbine and equipped with electric heaters for supplemental heat during peak demand, resulting in an efficient, flexible heating system that meets nearly 100% of the building’s heating needs. The case study examines how this integrated system improved the building’s energy efficiency from 28% to 60%, reduced annual emissions by an estimated …

A Strategic Framework for Utility Cost Control

The electric grid will require significant investments in the coming years to address a variety of system needs, including replacing aging assets, modernizing the grid and strengthening its resilience, and preparing for projected load growth. Meeting these needs while ensuring utility costs increase no more than necessary will be critical to maintaining affordability for customers.

This report examines the major drivers behind increasing utility costs in recent years. These have included increased spending on T&D infrastructure, reliance on natural gas for electricity generation, extreme weather and wildfires, and the slow adoption of new technologies. Exacerbating these challenges is the traditional …

Thermal Energy Storage at Purchase College, State University of New York

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) collaborated with Renewable Thermal Collaborative Solutions Provider Brenmiller Energy to implement thermal energy storage (TES) at Purchase College’s physical education building. Completed in 2023, this $2.5 million project features a Brenmiller bGen™ TES unit paired with a combined heat and power (CHP) microturbine and equipped with electric heaters for supplemental heat during peak demand, resulting in an efficient, flexible heating system designed to meet nearly 100% of the building’s heating needs. The case study examines how this integrated system aims to improve the building’s energy efficiency, decrease operational costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and …

Case Study: Thermal Energy Storage at Purchase College, State University of New York

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) collaborated with Renewable Thermal Collaborative Solutions Provider Brenmiller Energy to implement thermal energy storage (TES) at Purchase College’s physical education building. Completed in 2023, this $2.5 million project features a Brenmiller bGen™ TES unit paired with a combined heat and power (CHP) microturbine and equipped with electric heaters for supplemental heat during peak demand, resulting in an efficient, flexible heating system designed to meet nearly 100% of the building’s heating needs. The case study examines how this integrated system aims to improve the building’s energy efficiency, decrease operational costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and …

Renewable Industrial Heat Navigator Brief: Thermal Energy Storage

Navigate the evolving energy landscape with WBCSD’s latest navigator brief focusing on novel thermal energy storage (TES) solutions capable of decarbonizing high-temperature heat (already up to 600°C). This brief is part of a series of navigator briefs designed to support industrial companies in assessing renewable heat solutions and providing insights for informed investment decisions that contribute to decarbonized industrial processes, reduced long-term energy costs, and enhanced operational resilience.

This brief includes a non-technical introduction into TES solutions as well as a holistic overview of its technical capabilities, location requirements, and commercial considerations. It also offers unique insights from four cutting-edge …

Electricity 2025: Analysis and Forecast to 2027

Strong growth in electricity demand is raising the curtain on a new Age of Electricity, with consumption set to soar through 2027. Electrification of buildings, transportation and industry combined with a growing demand for air conditioners and data centres is ushering a shift toward a global economy with electricity at its foundations.

The International Energy Agency’s Electricity 2025 provides a deep and comprehensive analysis of all these trends as well as recent policy developments. For the period 2025 through 2027, it forecasts electricity demand, supply and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for select countries, by region and worldwide. The report explores …