advantages beyond resilience

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• Makes use of existing T&D and generation assets
• Addresses interdependence among critical infrastructure
• Enables cost sharing to lower costs to each beneficiary
• Provides resilience to facilities that otherwise could not afford it
• Cost-effectively tailors services to meet infrastructure needs
• Enables economies of scale compared to conventional microgrids 
• Expandable on an incremental basis 

• Utilities, resource providers, and critical infrastructure can each play a role
• May be used by investor-owned, cooperative, or public power utilities 
• Facilitates productive relationships between utility and customers
• Able to serve multiple facilities under different ownership
• Involves electric consumers in tailoring services to their needs
• Can help black start the wider grid
• Uses DER, including renewables, to the extent possible
• May use central station or distributed generation and storage assets 

• Helps meet renewable energy, resilience, and grid modernization mandates
• Readily  explainable to regulators
• Cost effective
• Gives customers more say over how their needs are served

Renewable energy and Distributed Energy Resources (DER) are playing an increasingly important role in the electricity system and in electricity markets. They are having a growing impact on both the business of electricity and the way the electric grid operates. 

The scale, grid architecture, and design of Resilient Community Grids provide unique advantages as platforms for renewable energy resources and DER for both electric utilities and energy consumers.

• Can allow distributed solar photovoltaics to stay online during outages
• Creates higher value for  renewables
• Enables the optimal siting of renewable energy facilities and equipment
• Maximizes reliability and resilience value 
• Large-scale renewable facilities near critical loads and substations can support the Resilient Community Grid 

• Increases value of DER 
• Maximizes reliability and resilience enhancements
• Enables use at most valuable locations
• Creates best opportunity for virtual power plants
• Provides good platform for transactive energy markets
• Reduces the  challenges and risks of decarbonization