Popular Science: EcoBlock co-Principal Investigator (PI) and UC Berkeley professor Dr. Dan Kammen discusses the growing ubiquity of community microgrids in a recent Popular Science article published on April 13, 2022. As renewable energy becomes more affordable and accessible, Kammen notes that microgrids—especially ones powered by solar—are gaining traction throughout the U.S. “We used to think that microgrids were off-grid, rural areas, but increasingly they’re urban areas, cities,” Kammen says. “Solar is certainly the most common just because it’s so easy. With solar and batteries you can do basically everything a utility does.”
Getting Off Gas, Block by Block
Despite its complexities, block-level decommissioning is likely more effective than an individual, house-by-house approach, offering untapped economies of scale that can be replicated across California. Dr. Therese Peffer provides insight into the challenges of pruning gas at the neighborhood block scale and its implications for the Oakland EcoBlock project.