Storms like Hurricane Ian can leave people in the dark for days, weeks and even months. But researchers at the University of St. Thomas are studying a new way to get the power back up and running faster.
A research facility unlike anywhere else hides underground at the School of Engineering run by Dr. Mahmoud Kabalan, assistant professor and director of the Center for Microgrid Research.
"You're looking at a state-of-the-art facility," said Dr. Kabalan.
Founded in 2019, he studies microgrids at the research center. Microgrids are small, self-contained energy networks that can be run on-site. Dr. Kabalan says they're more reliable than central or state power grids, like the one in Texas that went down during a winter storm last year, leaving millions without electricity and hundreds of people died.
"A microgrid is much more than simply a standby system or an emergency system," Dr. Kabalan said. "A microgrid can be your home, can be a hospital, can be university campus or can be even a neighborhood."
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