Washington's Opportunity in Proliferating Community Microgrids

As Washington grapples with rising electricity demand, climate-driven disruptions, and infrastructure bottlenecks, microgrids are emerging as a solution for delivering community energy resilience. In this presentation, Markus Virta of Cascadia Renewables and Sulis Energy draws from recent fieldwork and policy consulting to explore how Washington’s growing number of grant-funded, site-specific microgrids can serve as the foundation for a regional resilience network.

Markus presents a case for the role utilities can play in incentivizing and operating multi-node microgrids, and interoperable community energy systems. He will describe the role of utility-grade reclosers, intelligent relays, DERMS/VPP platforms, intelligent utility rate design, and policy levers in enabling this shift. The presentation builds on his work providing technical assistance in the Solar Plus Storage for Resilient Communities program at the WA Department of Commerce and delves deeper into valuing resilience—highlighting metrics such as value of lost load (VOLL), value of resilience (VOR123), and social burden—as tools for integrating resilience into grid planning and rate design.

Attendees will gain a fresh perspective on the technical, regulatory, and community engagement pathways needed to reimagine Washington’s grid not as a centralized relic, but as a flexible, resilient backbone of climate adaptation.

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