Key Microgrid Application Case Studies: Rural Electrification & Telecom Towers Abby Thompson Microgrids are an emerging technology with few real-world examples to study. This new short course, taught by Dr. Andy Skumanich, covers two real-world examples of microgrid solutions for major application segments: rural electrification and off-grid telecom tower power. These two segments can often only be addressed by a microgrid and are ideally suited for a PV/battery mode of microgrids. The two segments will be discussed in detail, based on direct experience of the instructor who has been part of a development team that has installed over 1MW of remote microgrids in developing regions including India and parts of Africa. There are points of learning from both as well as contrasts between the two. The course will highlight not just the mechanics of the microgrids (components, implementation, requirements) but also the financial considerations. In particular, for village electrification, there is a substantial cost savings by using PV/batteries over diesel. This same holds true for telecom, however, for this latter case, the considerations include up-front costs versus running costs. As a result, the former case is growing rapidly, whereas the latter is still under consideration. The course will provide specific case studies for the two applications and discuss the costs, the benefits, and the overall considerations which go into developing a microgrid solution. The intended audience for this course is individuals looking to demystify the current status of microgrids, based on realistic applications not just hypothetical scenarios. This includes: Renewable energy advocates PV and battery suppliers looking to better understand developing trends Engineers evaluating viable microgrid applications Professionals interested in alternative energy and global sustainability Instructor Dr. Andrew Skumanich was directly involved with the international team that installed the microgrids discussed in this course. This is firsthand information from his experience, with the lessons learned that come from his outside-the-classroom education. Enroll for just $60 today! Learning Objectives Learn the elements that comprise a microgrid Learn the basic market forces that drive or impede microgrid implementation Review specifics on the use of microgrids for two key applications Learn why these two applications are representative of the current state of microgrid development Gain perspective on the cost-benefit analysis for the two applications Directly compare PV/battery and diesel microgrids Consider the future opportunities for building microgrids from the ground up Enroll in ‘Two Key Microgrid Applications with Case Studies: Rural Electrification and Telecom Towers‘ with tech entrepreneur and microgrid expert Dr. Andrew Skumanich. About instructor Dr. Andrew Skumanich – Founder and CEO, SolarVision Co Dr. Andrew Skumanich is a successful Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of SolarVision Consulting, a boutique technology business development company with a core team of technologists focused on renewables and distributed generation energy production. He is a global expert on microgrids and has participated as part of a team installing more than 1MW of microgrids in developing countries. He co-founded Advenira Enterprises, a start-up that is developing advanced coatings and performance thin films. He provided executive-level support to various solar start-ups including SiGen and Innovalight, as VP of Business Development. He was a Senior Technologist at Applied Materials in the solar and semiconductor divisions. Before that he was at KLA-Tencor, and was a staff scientist at IBM Research. He earned his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in Physics with a thesis on thin films for PV and electronics. He is a Hertz Foundation fellow and a member of the global solar community, often presenting at international conferences. He has published peer-reviewed papers on microgrids as well as other key technology trends. Want a deeper dive into microgrids? Check out Andy’s Microgrid Design & Implementation course! Microgrid Solar Finance Originally posted on September 8, 2016 Written by Abby Thompson Abby is HeatSpring's Product Marketing Manager located in Boston, Massachusetts. She is passionate about people and education, particularly in diversifying the burgeoning fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Abby works with instructors to build new courses and engages with our community of students and experts through HeatSpring Magazine and social media. More posts by Abby