While they are often seen as a means of encouraging the take up of renewable energy and addressing challenges of peak demand, microgrids can make a significant contribution to disaster preparedness and recovery.

This White Paper considers preparation for and recovery from major electricity outages, with a focus on customer-side measures. It examines how disaster preparedness and post disaster recovery may benefit from standards and the design of plans for coordinated activity.

Microgrids are a solution to many of the issues identified in the disaster review. By relying on a variety of generators, a microgrid system avoids many of the single-point-of-failure issues of the traditional electricity grid. Key suggestions encourage the operation of microgrids and the implementation of standards to assist disaster relief planning. Business and electricity continuity planning as well as electricity continuity systems are examined as solutions for disaster preparedness and recovery.

The White Paper was prepared by the IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB) project team on microgrid disaster preparedness and recovery in cooperation with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation of Australia (CSIRO) and the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

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