63. 'Equitable Energy Access And Microgrids For Island Nations' With Tom McGeehan Of E-Finity

Different parts of the world must approach their power sector in unique ways to account for the specific needs and the unique challenges presented by local geographies, populations, economies, and more. While that means utilities in one corner of the globe may look different from the other side of the world, one of the most valuable tools for energy leaders is to look at what lessons can be learned from those various unique circumstances. Our guest on the Power Perspectives Podcast today has worked extensively tackling the energy landscape in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Being in the Caribbean, that means that the local energy stakeholders are dealing with the annual threat of hurricanes, elevated energy prices and the need for fossil fuel imports, and more. At the same time, the U.S. Virgin Islands find themselves amid a crisis from the housing shortage. While that reality may seem somewhat isolated from the traditional role of power providers, the guest of this episode highlights how it created a unique, all-encompassing opportunity. Joining host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester to discuss the success his organization has had in tackling energy equity and overall economic challenges on the U.S. Virgin Islands with microgrids is Tom McGeehan, VP at E-Finity Distributed Generation. Tom shares how his team has sought to respond to the recent hurricane seasons and resulting outages with a more decentralized approach, highlighting the opportunity microgrid technology can play for the wider energy sector outside of the islands, while also confronting head-on the climate challenges that are already present on the Virgin Islands and will soon spread to other parts of the world. Key Links: Tom McGeehan’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/tom-mcgeehan-0 Resilient CHP Facilities: The Real Reason Hurricanes Don't Jolt Facilities Like they Used to: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/resilient-chp Link to Energy Central post for this episode, including full transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-63-equitable-energy-access-and-microgrids-island-nations-tom-mcgeehan-e Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/