Figure 3-1: Diagram of Microgrid System Infrastructure

Stakeholders: ComEd, Solar Energy Businesses, Blue Island city officials

Timeline: 10+ Years

By 2040, Blue Island can have the infrastructure to host a community microgrid. This proposal outlines a 20-year plan to ensure Blue Island achieves this goal.

Next 5 Years

Blue Island will aid landowners who are interested in installing solar panels on their property.

Next 5-10 Years

Blue Island will install small scale microgrids on municipal buildings.

Next 10-15 Years

Blue Island will construct a community solar farm and install wind turbines.

Next 15-20 Years

Blue Island will work with ComEd to finalize a strategic integration between the city's migrogrid and the larger regional grid.

Blue Island will work with ComEd to connect solar panels installed on homes and other public spaces to the microgrid.

Figure 3-1: Diagram of Microgrid System Infrastructure

GREEN ECONOMY

Microgrids will be implemented into Blue Island through a collaborative effort from the public sector, solar energy businesses, and ComEd.

Selection of Energy Sources

Around 4,000 roofs in Blue Island, or 66% of total roofs in the city,

are viable for solar energy

production.27 Additionally, there is space within the Northeast tract at 11955 Vincennes, where Blue Island is demolishing an abandoned building and making way for remediation in the area.28 This presents an opportunity to have a solar farm as seen in Section 1.3. Based on these conditions, the majority of energy produced through the microgrid will be solar energy.

However, current solar technology is less than 50% efficient; therefore, microgrids rely on a variety of energy sources.29 Thus, while the transitional microgrids will be 100% solar energy, the community microgrid will also rely on 2-3 wind turbines.