In New York City, the Brooklyn Microgrid (BMG) is a network of New York City residents and business owners that act as a marketplace for locally generated solar energy. Residential and commercial solar panel owners can use the platform to sell excess solar energy to NYC residents. Participants access the local energy marketplace through the Brooklyn Microgrid mobile app. In the app, people can choose to buy local solar energy credits. Prosumers sell their excess solar energy to the marketplace where consumers purchase the available solar via auction.

The local government plays a role by determining how the microgrid energy market fits into the current energy policy. Legislative rules determine which market design is allowed, how taxes and fees are distributed and in which way the market is integrated into the traditional energy market and energy supply system. Hence, governments can easily support microgrid energy markets to further the efficient utilisation of local resources and to decrease environmental degeneration by regulatory changes, e.g. the introduction of subsidies. Then again, they may also discourage the implementation of microgrid markets if these result in negative impacts on the traditional energy system

Photo by Tuan Nguyen on Unsplash