BRONZEVILLE COMMUNITY, A PROJECT THAT COULD ULTIMATELY TO THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE IS QUIETLY TAKING SHAPE NOW THAT COULD PAVE THE WAY TO A SUSTAINABLE GREEN ENERGY FUTURE.

WELL, AT THE SAME TIME, MAKING THE NATION'S POWER INFRASTRUCTURE, MORE RESILIENT TO EVERYTHING FROM EXTREME WEATHER TO A TERRORIST ATTACK.

NOW IT'S A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, THE CHICAGO HOUSING AUTHORITY AND COMED CALLED THE BRONZEVILLE COMMUNITY MICROGRID AND CHARTING A PATH TO THE FUTURE BY TAKING AN OLD IDEA AND UPDATING IT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.

61ST MICHAEL GRANT REAL, BUT IT ISN'T IN 18.

81, SO MUCH READ BY ITSELF IS NOT NEW TECHNOLOGY.

HAVE THE POWER PLAN.

TOLD WIRED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT WAS ISOLATED ASSIST THEM.

SO THING, THE LIGHTS ON STREETS FOR WANTING TO SEE DUE TO THE NEIGHBORS PRIMARILY RICH PEOPLE WITH A 40 VICTORY SUNDAY AT THE TIME.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT NOW IS THAT USING THE SAME IDEA OF THE MICROGRID.

HOWEVER, USING VERY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES.

ADVISE MAD THE STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, SO EVERYTHING HAS DEVELOPED TO BE, YOU KNOW, MUCH MORE EFFICIENT, MUCH COST THE AND ALL OF THAT.

AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM THE DAYS OF ADDITIONAL.

BRONZEVILLE IS A VERY IMPORTANT CHICAGO.

THAT'S GOT A LOT OF HEART.

IT'S GOT A LOT OF PASSION AND HAS REPRESENTED BY THIS MURAL.

IT'S GOT A LOT OF FORWARD THINKERS AND INNOVATIVE THINKERS AND MAKES IT THE PERFECT PLACE.

THE CENTER OF THE ENERGY TRANSFORMATION REALLY IN THE WORLD.

AS A BRONZEVILLE RESIDENT AND A BRONZEVILLE BUSINESS OWNER.

NO MATTER WHAT COMMUNITY YOU LIVE IN, YOU WANT TO LIVE IN A MODERN COMMUNITY.

AND I THINK THE GRID REPRESENTS STATE OF ART TECHNOLOGY AS IT RELATES TO POWER AND POWER FAILURES.

SO IN LAYMAN'S TERMS TO ME, IT MEANS WHEN THEY ARE POWER FAILURES, THE WHOLE CITY DOESN'T HAVE TO SUFFER YOU CAN DEAL WITH THESE PROBLEMS IN SECTIONS.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN DISINVESTMENT.

AND WHEN WE TALK ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT CLEAN ENERGY IS SOMETHING THAT TEACHES ALWAYS PURSUING.

WE'VE WORKING ON THIS PROJECT FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS WITH THE COMMUNITY WERE PART OF THE BETTER CLIMATE CHALLENGE WHERE WE'VE COMMITTED TO OF REDUCING OUR CARBON EMISSIONS BY 50% BY 2033.

AND WE'RE WELL ON TRACK.

HAVING REDUCED TO JUST ONE YEAR BY 5%.

BUT ALSO IT PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW JOBS.

SO THROUGH THIS PROGRAM WE HAD FOR RESIDENTS WHO WENT THROUGH TRAINING SOLAR INSTALLATIONS AND SO ON AND WHO ARE NOW CERTIFIED IN AN INDUSTRY THAT IS ONLY GOING TO GROW.

SO IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE HAS WORKED WITH OUR PARTNERS OVER AT COMED TO INSTALL SOLAR PANELS ON EACH OF THE 16 RESIDENTIAL MIDSIZED BUILDINGS HERE AT DEARBORN HOMES.

WE TYPICALLY USE ACROSS THE CAMPUS ABOUT 6 MILLION KILOWATT HOURS ANNUALLY.

THE SOLAR PANELS ARE SUPPLEMENTING THAT ENERGY.

I ABOUT 10%, WHICH MEANS THAT WE'RE GENERATING ABOUT 600,000 KILOWATT HOURS ANNUALLY THROUGH THE SOLAR PANELS THAT WE IN TURN DO NOT HAVE TO BUY FROM COMMENT.

BEHIND BEAUTIFUL MURAL IS WHAT WE CALL THE BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM, WHICH PROVIDE THAT RESILIENT POWER.

A MICROGRID REALLY IS A CONGLOMERATION OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT SMART DEVICES ALL CONTROLLED BY A MASTER CONTROLLER.

AND IT PROVIDES IT ANY NORMAL DAY.

THE MICROGRID IS ACTUALLY CONNECTED TO THE MAIN GRID.

BUT THEN IN THE EVENT OF A IN A LARGE DISTURBANCE, THE MICROGRID WOULD BE ABLE TO ISLAND DISCONNECT ITSELF FROM THE MAIN GRID AND USE THE RESOURCES, THE GENERATION, THE SOLAR ENERGY TO STILL HAVE CONTINUOUS POWER SUPPLY.

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE THE THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS, THE POLICE STATION, THE FIRE STATION, THE SCHOOLS AND ALL THE SMALL BUSINESSES HERE AND AND BRONZEVILLE, BUT STILL REMAINED WITH POWER.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE GRANT AND THAT IF SEE THIS AND THE THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THESE AN OUTAGE.

THEN YOU HAVE TO TURN EVERYTHING OFF BECAUSE WAS THE LINEMAN IS FIXING TO GRID.

YOU CAN ARGUE THAT TURN ON YOUR GENERATOR OR SONAR BECAUSE THAT RAIN IS GOING TO RUN INTO THE SYSTEM AND ALIGNMENT IS GOING ELECTRIC.

YOU THAT.

THIS ALLOWS US TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE WE HAVE STORMS OR INCLEMENT WEATHER WHERE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR BUSINESSES ARE STILL FUNCTIONING.

YOU KNOW, THAT FIRE AMBULANCE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE THINGS NECESSARY TO OPERATE WITHIN THE CITY OF CHICAGO TO SERVICES COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE.

AND WE APPRECIATE IT.

YOU KNOW, HAVING THIS MICROGRID RIGHT HERE IN BROWNSVILLE.

AND COME STILL