In 2014, Chris Villarreal helped write the white paper, Microgrids: A Regulatory Perspective. As a regulatory analyst with the California Public Utilities Commission, he outlined the regulatory questions of microgrid development at a time when the state was mulling over how to allow more distributed, renewable energy come onto the grid. Now Villarreal is Director of Policy for the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. He recently chatted with the Institute for Local Self Reliance’s John Farrell about microgrids, their many uses, and what policies help or hinder their growth. Continue reading at Renewable Energy World.
Villareal showcases Alameda County’s microgrid at the Santa Rita Jail as one of the best examples of an advanced microgrid. Looking for more examples in California local governments? Check out the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe’s microgrid, or Fremont’s new EPIC Program-funded fire station microgrid development.