NPR Illinois
Summary
A new grant program from the U.S. Department of Energy is poised to send $178 million to American schools for energy efficiency and student health projects. One of the funding recipients is a coalition of 20 Illinois school districts, led by a western Illinois district with just 300 students.
The school districts won't only receive electric buses. Some are slated for solar panel projects, others for updated HVAC technology and all 20 will construct their own "microgrid."
Zaleski says a microgrid is a way to produce and use energy onsite and sometimes even feed it back into the main electricity grid. Electricity produced by a solar panel or taken from an electric buses’ battery, for instance, could be stored on a microgrid.
Farquer sees a long list of advantages to alternative energy production and storage solutions at schools. At a student level, the microgrid provides more options to keep the school's lights on during emergency situations and makes providing reliable wireless internet easier.
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