July 6 DDATT First Friday discussion to look at ‘what is a Microgrid?’

DEXTER — On Friday, July 6 Dexter Dover Area Towns in Transition (DDATT) will host its monthly “First Friday” public discussion from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Abbott Memorial Library on “What is a Microgrid?”

U.S. towns and cities are awakening to the importance of local energy; to the value of gaining control over their energy supply, and ensuring that it is clean, efficient and secure.

Recent storms and power outages have accelerated the trend, as has the realization among local officials that developing local energy can help municipalities: keep the lights on when the central grid fails; gain more control over energy costs; better compete for sought-after industries and jobs; improve air quality and achieve climate change goals; and improve energy efficiency and incorporate solar, wind and other renewable energy.

Community microgrids are central pillars of today’s local energy revolution. Being developed in municipalities large and small, they are a key feature of the new clean and efficient electrical infrastructure that is beginning to transform America’s energy grid into a less centralized and more democratized entity.

Mayors and city leaders are especially tuned into this transformation because of the severe stress that extended power outages create in their communities—from inconveniences that prevent people from completing day-to-day tasks to true threats to health and well-being. Power outages also directly affect commerce and therefore municipal budgets.

DDATT’s mission is to move our local communities away from dependence on imported energy, and rethink our contemporary economic structure to make it work for us instead of us working for it. Got an opinion? Come on June 6 and share it.

For more information on DDATT and future events, email info@ddatt.org to get on email news list or call 277-4221 or 924-3836.