#artofthepossible

[alelishan]

Moss Lion / a possible new edge for on old forgotten bronze sculpture #artofthepossible #sillyandhappyface #ilaughinthefaceofdanger https://www.instagram.com/p/B-pfF0XIovu/?igshid=ncxsqt1zmjvz

[alelishan]

A very silly proto-conceptual work the « Evier-Perrian », (also known as « Deep French Kissing ») in its two modes of existence: as a still life and in action #sillyisfunny #funnyiscute #stilllife #artofthepossible #perrian #evier https://www.instagram.com/p/B-j5CPjIRx9/?igshid=1ohwyecafl647

[kenorourke]

View this post on Instagram

#repost @harrods Where unique creations meet one-of-a-kind service, #Harrods is the only retail destination to house and outfit haute couture. Discover the dream of fashion’s most rarefied artform, made into reality. #HarrodsFashion #HauteCouture #ArtOfThePossible (at Harrods) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzs3_2oAZ2N/?igshid=jfib72sl5qn5

[boozallen-blog]

HIGHER PURPOSE: Keeping the power on when it’s needed most

In October 2012, Super Storm Sandy showed just how fragile the U.S. power grid could be. The storm had a domino effect on the mostly above-ground, interconnected system, blacking out vast swaths of the East Coast. Booz Allen is making sure that the next time a big storm hits, local electrical systems can keep the lights on.

To help keep the U.S. plugged in, Booz Allen entered NY Prize, a first-of-its-kind program created in response to Super Storm Sandy by the New York State Energy Research and Development. Its goal is to give local communities across New York state a more effective and resilient electrical system through the use of microgrids.

The entire NY Prize project team, from left to right: Eric Leake, Tom Bucher, Scott Thigpen, Aaron Willis, Gary Leatherman, and Michelle Isenhouer Hanlin.  // Booz Allen Hamilton

Because microgrids are separate from the larger U.S. electrical grid, they can operate even when the main grid can’t. The power from the microgrids can help power hospitals, emergency response workers, and other crucial public services.  

Project coordinator, Michelle Isenhouer Hanlin. // Booz Allen Hamilton

The coordinator of Booz Allen’s NY Prize work, Michelle Isenhouer Hanlin, says she believes these microgrid projects have life-saving effects. She says the microgrids will help “power hospitals in the event of an emergency and provide evacuation plans and places for people to go if and when there’s another Sandy or another drastic even in the state of New York.  

Gary Leatherman, who’s leading Booz Allen’s NY Prize efforts, echoes that sentiment, “at the end of the day, these projects, if and when implemented, will help save lives, save jobs, and save communities.”

Microgrids provide an energy backup in the event of emergencies by leveraging nontraditional power sources, like these solar panels at the USDA’s George Washington Carver Center in Beltsville, MD. // Booz Allen Hamilton

It’s challenging, ground-breaking work, but Scott Thigpen, who works alongside Isenhouer Hanlin and Leatherman, says that their work is changing minds about “what the art of the possible is in the energy field.”

“We’re always working on the next generation of technologies and people are always telling us, this can’t be done, it won’t be done. One of the great rewards you get out of the job is that we show people by the application of innovation and by working together there’s a lot of great projects out there that can be done.”

One of the most exciting things about this work is, now that the study and research is complete, Booz Allen is moving into unchartered territory–actually working to design and construct these microgrid systems.

“Getting to be a part of that new movement is very exciting,” Isenhouer Hanlin says.

It may seem like a small start, but local projects like these have broader implications on the global power grid, as well. Bottom line, Leatherman says, “our higher purpose is to basically make the energy infrastructure of the country–and the world–more secure, more reliable, and cleaner.” That’s one powerful higher purpose.