Use of Advanced Microgrids to Support Community Resilience
Michael Baca, Ben Schenkman, Mike Hightower
Abstract
Over the last decade, it has been recognized that the resiliency of cities and communities relies on the efficient and effective operation of several lifeline infrastructures and services, such as energy, food and water, communications, shelter, sanitation, emergency response, and transportation, to maintain public health and safety during a natural disaster. Surprisingly, some argue that the benefits to the public of incorporating resilience and robustness versus the risks of a major disaster do not match the extra costs. Some experts conclude that building resilience and robustness into a community is valuable in theory, but in practice, resilience and robustness are abstract and very costly. This highlights the challenges community leaders and stakeholders have in communicating resilience needs and developing efficient and cost-effective solutions.