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.”
“Change Moves at the Speed of Trust”: EcoBlock at DAC Weatherization Conference
EcoBlock’s Dr. Therese Peffer and Rich Brown highlighted strategies for effective community-scale decarbonization, including: sustained resident engagement, bundling home performance and low-power electrification upgrades, and leveraging the economies of scale associated with block-level retrofits.