The Kentucky Association of Mitigation Managers (KAMM) will hold its annual conference at the Owensboro Convention Center on September 17-19. Organizers said that in an effort to promote sustainability and energy resilience, KAMM is introducing a portable state-of-the-art microgrid powered by solar panels, courtesy of Resilient Energy and Infrastructure (REI).
“We’re excited to bring the portable microgrid display and demonstration from REI to our conference,” said KAMM spokesperson Esther White.
REI, based in Nashville, has teamed with National Institute for Hometown Security (NIHS), a nonprofit based in Somerset KY for the project.
“Microgrids have the potential to be key tools for community and infrastructure resilience for communities responding to and mitigating against natural disasters,” REI Solutions Engineer Ludo Roche and NIHS Director of Research Ben Colgrove said in a joint statement. “Existing solutions for reliable backup power (e.g., diesel generators) lack modularity and are dependent on continual refueling, ultimately limiting resiliency. Even when these backup power sources are portable, they are slow to deploy and have short-duration uses due to the need for fuel.”
Roche and Colgrove said the microgrid being demonstrated is intended to “bring flexible, portable, and resilient backup power that provides indefinite energy to critical infrastructure sites.”
Central to the system’s resiliency value is its portability through proprietary solar arrays which are wheel-mounted in an accordion-style racking system.
“This foldable system allows for the microgrid to be quickly deployed from a compact shipping container, resulting in various applications (permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary) of a sustainable, quiet, clean, and indefinite power source,” a release about the device says. “The microgrid system significantly lowers the cost of energy for local city facilities, reduces carbon footprint, eliminates fuel costs, and enhances resiliency for backup power systems.”
KAMM was formed in 2004 to promote natural hazard mitigation and management in Kentucky. Members include legislators, floodplain coordinators, planning and zoning officials, engineers, surveyors, GIS specialists, hydrologists, and public safety and emergency managers.
“I’ve been working with the group for over a year to help with planning and I’m excited to share a fun way for local residents to interact with the conference,” said Teresa Jones, Destination Sales for Visit Owensboro. “The community is invited come by and check out the state of the art solar panels that will power up local coffee vendor Kahawa Java during the conference. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy their favorite coffee beverages while learning about the benefits of solar-powered micro grids and their impact on energy independence and environmental stewardship.”
