For decades, North America's electricity systems have relied on just a handful of mega-generating stations to provide electricity for millions of homes and businesses. Today, however, more and more renewable energy projects are coming on board. This makes the grid more decentralized and, as a result, far more complex to manage.

The solution, according to UW power expert Magdy Salama? Thinking small. Dividing the grid into self-sufficient units called microgrids makes it easier to handle the…