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PUR Guide 2012 Fully Updated Version

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DER Microgrids

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities announced that by virtue of funding feasibility studies for 13 so-called "town center" distributed energy resource (DER) microgrids, it is improving energy resiliency and increasing the use of DER technologies. The board averred that in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the state made it a priority to improve energy resiliency and system hardening and focus on emergency preparedness and response planning by utility companies.

The board accepted DER microgrid funding submissions from the following 12 applicants: Atlantic City, Camden County, Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority, Galloway Township, the Borough of Highland Park, the City of Hoboken, Hudson County, Middletown Township, Montclair Township, Neptune Township, the City of Paterson, and Woodbridge Township. The thirteenth funding recipient was the State of New Jersey Department of Treasury, which, with partners Mercer County, Mercer County Improvement Authority, and the City of Trenton, had proposed a DER microgrid for downtown Trenton.

The board said that as interest in microgrids grows and as such systems are developed around the state, communities will have the power and freedom to keep critical facilities up and running independent of overall grid operations during emergency conditions. The board identified microgrids as especially important for such facilities as hospitals, police and fire stations, water and wastewater treatment plants, and buildings used to shelter residents in times of emergency.