Micro Grids for Blackouts During Disasters Suggested at APEC Meeting

The Philippines might want to look into investing in micro grids, which can transmit power autonomously during blackouts caused by natural disasters, such as earthquakes and typhoons.

According to Dr. Phyllis Yoshida, head of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Working Group and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Americas at the Office of International Affairs of the United States Department of Energy, the US shared the “put a lot of money” into installing micro grids to prepare them for natural calamities, like when Hurricane Sandy plunged the US East Coast in darkness in 2012.

The US official highlighted the need for “resilient micro grids”, which can provide electricity to hospitals and schools during blackouts.

In times of disasters, Yoshida said micro grids could also transmit power to industrial plants with advanced micro grids.

“We build in ways that (when) there is a disaster… those micro grids can back up very quickly and supply the most urgent needs in the area,” she said.

A micro grid is a local energy grid that has control capability, enabling it to disconnect from the traditional grid and operate autonomously.

Unlike a regular grid, which, when needed to be repaired, cuts power in central power sources that provide electricity to homes, businesses, and other buildings, micro grids can operate on their own, using local energy sources, such as solar panels.

Yoshida, however, also pointed out the need to maximize the resources of each region and customize the strategies for energy resilience that work best for each economy.

When Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina hit the United States, “we were not totally prepared”, she said, adding that they have been “learning best lessons to build resilience in the system.”

In the US, each region has different strategies employed to counter the effects of natural disasters on power supply.

Some of the regions use backup pumps and auxiliary power, while some opted to place their power lines underground so they would be protected from extreme weather conditions above ground.

A 2012 study by a research and market analysis team, Green Tech Media, said that micro grids were able to provide needed power supply to parts of Maryland, New Jersey, and Manhattan in New York during the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy.

This allowed evacuation and emergency responses to take place amid the coast-wide power outage. (PNA) LGI/PND/EDS