Illinois utility's microgrid first to 'island' nearby residential customers

Midwest Energy News: Tucked away behind a research park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a glimpse into what many industry analysts say is the future of the power industry. There on campus, a microgrid of solar panels, wind power, natural-gas generators and energy storage work in concert to balance electricity supply and demand.

Ameren Illinois, which serves power to 1.2 million customers across the state, completed the $5 million facility in December and formally unveiled it in May. The utility calls the nearly 1.5-megawatt microgrid one of North America’s most advanced distributed-energy-resource facilities.

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