Hurricane Maria\u2019s devastation of Puerto Rico last September, which left nearly all the island\u2019s 3.4 million residents without power, is one of the most frightening scenarios for a metropolis: A natural disaster or cyberattack wipes out a city\u2019s power grid.<\/p>\n

But University of Utah electrical and computer engineering assistant professor Masood Parvania is building a new laboratory to develop technology that would help communities get their power back online faster in the wake of those kinds of devastating events.<\/p>\n

He was awarded a three-year, $2 million grant from the U.S. Navy\u2019s Office of Naval Research beginning July 1 to build the lab and research and test technology for microgrids \u2013 smaller, more localized versions of a city\u2019s power grid that could provide backup electricity in a catastrophic situation.<\/p>\n

When a natural disaster hits, much of a city\u2019s power grid that receives electricity from sources such as thermal and hydroelectric plants, can go dark.<\/p>\n

Microgrids are power systems in smaller areas of a city that operate autonomously from the main grid and get electricity from sources like solar panels or energy storage devices. They can provide emergency power to neighborhoods and essential services such as hospitals until the main system is restored. Microgrids can be as small as a building like a college campus or military base that use backup generators, or a large neighborhood that uses wind turbines or geothermal generation. Microgrids, for example, are now being created all over Puerto Rico in the event of future massive power outages.<\/p>\n