Harness It: Renewable Energy Technologies and Project Development Models Transforming the Grid, Paperback

Considering the increasing importance of renewable energy for climate change mitigation, this book provides an overview of how renewable energy sources are integrated into the grid to promote better understanding among students and business professionals in the utility sector and across industries.

Following an overview of the technical and historical development of the electric grid in the U.S. and Europe, this guide reviews hydropower, solar photovoltaics, wind energy, fuel cell, and battery technologies. The author also presents models for the connection of these renewable energy sources from large-scale to on-site and community power/microgrids. The models are explained through case studies in the developed and developing worlds that explore how technical evaluations are conducted, policy incentives implemented, and project finance applied.

Considering the increasing importance of renewable energy for climate change mitigation, this book provides an overview of how renewable energy sources are integrated into the grid to promote better understanding among students and business professionals in the utility sector and across industries. Most literature on grid interconnection is highly technical, assuming an in-depth understanding of electrical engineering. With the rise of clean technologies and the diversity of interconnection models, this guide fills a gap in the existing literature by equipping non-technical business managers with the salient information they need to make critical decisions for their organizations.

Michael Ginsberg is a LEED AP O+M, CEM and NABCEP PV associate, holds an MS in sustainability management from Columbia University, and is a doctor of engineering candidate at Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, specializing in solar energy integration to the electrical grid. In his work with the DoD, DoS, and EPA, Michael has performed technical analyses of large-scale >5 MW solar installs on U.S. compounds worldwide, including U.S. Embassies in West Africa, South America, the Middle East, and Europe. Previously, Michael consulted on climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts for the NYC Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability and the UN Development Programme in Niger.