Community and Small-Scale Grid Innovation - Smart Grid (R) Evolution: Electric Power Struggles - page 170

Nanogrid . The term “nanogrid” refers to an approach to the electricity system that
takes the microgrid emphasis on DG even further, down to a single load or actor. Bruce
Nordman described a nanogrid as having “at least one load … and at least one gateway to
the outside,” (Nordman 2010 ) . He and colleagues list a nanogrid's most basic components
as controller, load, and gateway (Nordman, Christensen, and Meier 2012 ) . As with most
aspects of smart grid, definitions are still fluid, and cover a wide range of options. Navigant
Research, for example, defined nanogrids as “100 kW for grid-tied systems and 5 kW for
remote systems” (Hardesty 2014 ; see also Asmus and Lawrence 2014 ) . Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory described a nanogrid as having “at least one load or sink of power, a
gateway to the outside, and a controller to distribute power, using price signals to mediate
supply and demand. It is the most effective way to integrate local renewable generation
and storage, and it incorporates features such as peer-to-peer power exchange, bidirectional
power flow, and managed distribution to loads” (Chen 2012b ) . For our purposes, we follow
the relatively broad definition of nanogrids as small microgrids (Hardesty 2014 ; Lundin
2014b ) , and add on an institutional consideration: microgrids can combine multiple actors
into a coordinated configuration, but a nanogrid has a single decision maker. A nanogrid
could refer to a personal computer and the USB-powered device connected to it, or it could
refer to one of the DoD's SPIDERS installations.
Locavolt movement . The Locavolt movement focuses on changing the locus of control
of the energy system from large companies to individual prosumers . Although it also
aims to produce a more resilient electric grid and improve environmental quality, its
primary purpose is individual empowerment. Author, journalist and energy expert Peter
Asmus is widely credited with coining this term to describe a movement of people who
seek to “generate power right in their own homes and neighborhoods” (Asmus 2008a ).
The analogy with the more familiar “locavore” movement among foodies is intentional.
In response to naysayers who worry about loss of power quality and reliability, Asmus
provides examples that range, both spatially and politically, from California to Iowa.
He uses these examples to demonstrate the diverse ways that locavolts “secure reliable
supplies in times of emergency” at the same time as enhancing their own self-reliance on
an everyday basis. Technologies associated with smart grid, such as telecommunication
advances and conversion devices, have enabled locavolts to tap into renewable resources
that are locally available. For example, community wind projects dominate the locavolt
movement in rural Minnesota and Iowa, whereas the locavolt movement in California is
turning to a combination of rooftop PV and small wind turbines, with plug-in hybrid cars
providing storage (Asmus 2008b ).
Locavolts are part of a movement that relies on individuals who are willing and able
to invest significant time, money, and other resources into achieving their goal of locally