HartfordBusiness.com
March 11, 2014
Wesleyan University in Middletown powered up the state’s first microgrid under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s program designed to help keep electricity flowing during emergencies.
The Wesleyan microgrid will stay energized even if a large-scale power outage strikes the state, as a series of generations and switches can isolate the university from the main power grid. The main function of the grid will be to power the Athletic Center and use it as a shelter for area residents.
Malloy and the legislature created the microgrid program in 2011 in response to the large-scale power outages that struck the state in August and October of that year.
Since its inception, the program allocated $18 million toward nine microgrid projects, including Wesleyan and two in Hartford. The state has another $15 million to award in second round of applications. Read more…