14 DAY TRIAL // Chevron Energy Solutions, a company specializing in aiding local businesses and households push for and achieve sustainable development, recently entered a partnership with the Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County, California.
Because of this collaboration, said jail now has its energy demands met by means of a microgrid. This translates into the fact that this security facility no longer depends on the national grid, as it is fully capable of providing for itself.
As one can easily imagine, throughout the past few years it has become of utmost importance for security facilities to cut down on their reliance on the national grid, especially since powerful thunderstorms are known for causing power shortages and leaving many neighborhoods in the dark.
It is not difficult to guess that this microgrid enables the jail's managing board to save significant amounts of money, which would otherwise be spent on energy bills.
Preliminary reports indicate that this microgrid saves the jail about $100,000 (about €82,000) on a yearly basis.
However, what interests us more than money is the fact that this microgrid functions by putting together the energy generated by fuel cells, solar panels, wind turbines and diesel generators, all of which are to be found within the security facility's perimeter.
In other words, the aforementioned partnership between Chevron Energy Solutions and the Santa Rita Jail made the latter one of the most environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient security facilities in the US.
Technology Reviews explains that the microgrid needed to integrate this many power sources because, much like hospitals, military basis and data centers, its daily activities cannot afford for shortages to occur.
As far as we are concerned, this Californian jail microgrid makes a case of how, given the proper incentives, there is always a way to turn towards more environmentally-friendly energy sources and therefore cut down on our dependence of fossil fuels.