The borough of Highland Park, in New Jersey, has kicked off a feasibility study for a microgrid intended to connect eight critical facilities in the town center, so as to make them more resilient to storms and allow them to remain active in the event of power outages. Titled “Being Resilient in Temporary Emergencies” (BRITE), the microgrid would create a hub for emergency services that could remain powered in the event of outages for the wider grid.
The feasibility study “will explore how locally we can ensure resilience by having a microgrid up and running if there is that larger outage of the grid,” said Richard S. Mroz, State Board of Public Utilities president in a release.
With the Highland Park study examining connecting Borough Hall to the police and fire stations, the senior center, the senior housing building, the Housing Authority, Bartle School and Board of Education offices, the potential for public safety and emergency preparedness is considerable. “This has been a dream of ours here in Highland Park ever since I became mayor,” observes Highland Park Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler, “in the event of an emergency, these buildings can be utilized to help our residents stay cool or warm, charged or fed.”
Source:
