If we want a livable climate for future generations, we need to slow, stop, and reverse the rise in global temperatures. To do that, we need to stop burning fossil fuels for energy.

To do that, we need to generate lots of carbon-free electricity and get as many of our energy uses as possible (including transportation and industry) hooked up to the electricity grid. Electrify everything!

We need a greener grid. But that’s not all.

As reported by the team at Vox, we also need a reliable and resilient grid that works with nature’s rhythms — night and day, good and extreme weather conditions, and squirrels (seriously) — a grid that can handle brownouts and blackouts for hospitals, data centers, and essential facilities as well as for homes and businesses.

Enter The Microgrid: Greener, more reliable, and more resilient.

Microgrids are smaller local sources of electricity that can connect to a larger grid or stand-alone like an ‘island’ of sorts. Real-world example of a microgrid: The NYU campus during the 2012 power outages after Hurricane Sandy:

Learn more about microgrids (and picogrids and nanogrids) at Vox, complete with lots of illustrations.

Then watch these related videos about energy, electricity, solar power, and wind power on TKSST:
• Fourth graders create a solar powered classroom
• The Solar Grandmothers of Ambakivao, Madagascar
• How do batteries work?
• Can you power your home with a bicycle?
• Using seawater and sunlight to grow sustainable food in the desert