Siemens & ComEd: Brining energy resilience to a historic Chicago neighborhood

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Climate Justice

By The Climate Pledge

Bronzeville microgrid in Chicago uses renewable energy and battery storage to provide reliable power to over 1,000 residents. It reduces power outages and promotes community resilience.

“This community is a model for how we’ll use technology to build a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable future in America. ComEd’s microgrid cluster, which Siemens is providing the software for, serves over 1,000 residents and will change the way we use distributed energy resources to power a community.”

Barbara Humpton

CEO, Siemens USA.

By the Numbers:

- 1,000: the approximate number of customers served by the Bronzeville Microgrid

- 750 kilowatts: the amount of energy produced by photovoltaics in this microgrid which is also comprised of a 500 kilowatt/2 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system and 5 megawatt dispatchable natural gas generation

Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton and ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones speak in front of the Bronzeville Renaissance Mural

Welcome to Bronzeville, a historic neighborhood on Chicago’s south side that is now home to the world’s first large utility-owned microgrid cluster. The microgrid, which serves over 1,000 residents, can reduce power outages during blackouts, lower costs for the community, and more. Operating in tandem with the city’s electric grid, the microgrid cluster keeps the power on for Bronzeville families and essential service providers when there’s a disruption in the broader area. It draws on renewable energy resources like 750 kilowatts of solar photovoltaic power and, maybe most importantly, is a case study for how bigger communities could become more resilient in a warming world.