Josh Milberg, director of smart grid technology and Midwest regional vice president for Willdan Energy Solutions, participated in a panel of experts with microgrid experience and expertise on an international level brought together by Columbia University's Earth Institute in April 2013.

View the one-hour "Microgrids: A Smart Solution for Energy Efficiency and Resiliency" discussion on youtube.

The panel of private-sector experts, policymakers and academic thought leaders discussed microgrid technology and its potential for growth in application in the United States. What are microgrids? What are the benefits of adopting microgrid technology and what are the hurdles to adoption? How are microgrids an example of clean technology and how can they be tied to renewable energy and the concept of smart grids? The panelists discussed how microgrids are being applied in the United States in both the public and private sectors. The panel also discussed how this growth can be fostered using a combination of public policy, creative financing, and new technology adoption.

In addition to Mr. Milberg, the panel included: Steven Cohen, Executive Director, The Earth Institute; Matthew Fairy, Vice President, Marketing, Pareto Energy; Vijay Modi, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Columbia University; and Mohammad Shahidehpour, Bodine Chair Professor and Director, Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation, Illinois Institute of Technology.