A microgrid in your future?

I like innovation contests.
They explains things simply.

This contestant’s set-up could become common soon. Twenty homes share a system that collects electricity from solar panels (when the sun is shining) or the grid (when time-of-use rates are low). The power can be 1) kept in their large battery backup (the homes are an island in case of outages), 2) routed to the various homes (cheap electricity when time-of-use rates are high), or 3) pushed onto the grid (to get some income). The decision process is controlled by software.

With global warming putting upward pressure on both our long-term electricity costs and our risk of outages, this system serves to climate-proof homeowners as well as to save them money. Check out the other contestants.