Informational hearing: committee hears microgrid bills aimed at community resilience, interconnection speed and PUC investigation

The Senate Energy and Environment Committee held an informational hearing on May 14 to review two microgrid bills and related programs aimed at improving community energy resilience and speeding interconnection of distributed resources.

Daniel Whalen, government affairs director at Sustainable Northwest, explained the bills’ aims and why rural communities have pressed for microgrid options after recent wildfires, ice storms and repeated public safety power shutoffs. Whalen said microgrids are not experimental technology but “off‑the‑shelf stuff” organized differently to allow communities to keep power to critical services during extended outages.

House Bill 2066 directs the Oregon Public Utility Commission to investigate the benefits and constraints of microgrid development, clarify ownership and operational responsibilities for community‑led microgrids, and recommend interconnection standards and definitions for “islanding” (the ability to operate independently from the wider grid). Whalen said the PUC investigation would help communities decide…