"What is a microgrid?...There's a lot of challenges that folks are dealing with around the grid infrastructure, with weather related challenges and load growth and other elements. And so what a microgrid does is help those customers become not only consumers of energy, but also producers of energy. So we like to call that a prosumer….So a microgrid helps to create that bridge between the building and the big grid…So if the grid's no longer there (e.g., an outage), they can act independently of the grid. It also helps with deploying more renewables on their sites, as well as really energy costs."

Jana Gerber on Electric Ladies Podcast

Our hearts go out to the many people who are out of power in the current massive winter storm. We wish they had access to a microgrid to give them power when the grid is down, like during this ferocious storm. How does a microgrid work? Can you get one for your home?

Listen to Jana Gerber, President of Microgrids at Schneider Electric in this helpful and engaging conversation with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson, live at the Schneider Electric U.S. Innovation Summit a couple of months ago. They also share insightful career advice.

You'll hear about:

What a microgrid is, how it works and how to use it.
How microgrids can serve communities in disaster situations – and are doing so in real time.
How facilities as different as military bases to airports to EV charging are using microgrids to keep the power on.
How microgrids are powered by renewables and batteries…and so much more
Plus, insightful career advice, such as…

"I think having purpose in what we do really drives that passion. And so continue to find what your North star is and where your passion aligns with that and keep going at it. So I think that's the important thing….I've had multiple different roles across different elements of the (SE) business and really getting to understand the perspectives and everybody wants to provide value and what they're doing. And so helping to find ways that you can pull folks in to help them bring their value to your customers or through other means is really critical." Jana Gerber on Electric Ladies Podcast

Read Joan's Forbes articles here.

You'll also like:

An Industrial Revolution Unlike Any Other – with Gwenaelle Avice-Huet, EVP and head of Automation at Schneider Electric, from their U.S. Innovation Summit 2025
Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), on the politics of energy and infrastructure
Doreen Harris, President and CEO of NYSERDA, on how New York is leading the way to the clean energy future.
Paula Glover, from the Alliance To Save Energy
Autum Huskins, Hitachi Zosen Inova, turning waste into energy (and wine)
Marit Brommer, Ph.D., International Geothermal Association, how geothermal is a dependable energy source
Claire Seaborn, former Chief of Staff to Canada's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources on what the U.S. can learn from Canada's energy policies

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers..

Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review!