Autonomy, reliable electricity, and a business structure that renders the century old electric monopoly utility model obsolete. Wholesale adoption of microgrids hasn’t have arrived yet, but make no mistake, it’s on the way.

Microgrids are like “uber for energy.” People will have the ability to choose what resource powers their home and may even have the ability to sell electricity to their neighbors. More importantly, they’ll capture everyone on the left and the right’s imagination. That’s the beauty of disruptive technology. Don’t believe us? Take out your phone and order an Uber, or better yet, go outside and ride a scooter around Denver.

The energy sector is ripe for change. Large, electric utilities and utility-scale power generation are relics of the early twentieth century. Experts may point to the wholesale deregulation that occurred in the 90s, but unless you live in Texas, deregulation hasn’t achieved near what people had hoped for. In Colorado, it never even came. We’re still waiting with our vertically-integrated, electric utilities powering the state. And trust us, the utilities and our elected officials aren’t willing to scrap that model anytime soon.

Moreover, transitioning to a grid powered by utility-scale renewable generation isn’t innovative. Building large scale wind and solar farms is just replacing one old dog with another!

A goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2040 is expensive – not only in real costs to the state but also because of the lost opportunity to fund research that’s dedicated to finding different methods to power peoples’ lives.

In our opinion, disruptive technology is innovative technology, and the development of microgrids has the capacity to revolutionize the way in which America is powered. Our colleagues and friends at HOMER Energy know this, and they’ve taken the initiative to become a leader in developing microgrid and distributed energy technology. HOMER Energy is the world leader in this sphere, and we’re proud to be a media partner for the HOMER International Microgrid Conference (HIMC).

If you’re interested in microgrids, we suggest following HOMER Microgrid News and attend HIMC. What started off as a small forum has grown since developing microgrids is no longer an idea of the future but is a current solution for old issues plaguing the energy industry. HIMC is a three-day conference running from October 7-9 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It includes two full days of presentations and an optional full-day of training on microgrid design software.

Attending the HOMER International Microgrid Conference is an unparalleled opportunity to learn about distributed energy from leaders in the industry. To register and for more information about the conference, visit the website by clinking the following link: HIMC.

We also encourage you to read our microgrid miniseries (the link to each blog post is below) and attend our First Annual Microgrid Conference on November 8. We’re looking forward to Peter Lillenthal of HOMER Energy’s presentation, and the Federal Department of Energy’s microgrid specialist as the keynote speaker.

Stay tuned, more information about our first Annual Independence Institute Microgrid Conference will be released in the coming weeks.