The New Orleans City Council will soon decide whether to use $30 million from a settlement with Entergy to fund a "micro grid" plan that its backers say would help insulate hundreds of homes, civic establishments and businesses from future blackouts using battery power.

The proposal, led by consumer advocacy groups Together New Orleans and the Alliance for Affordable Energy, and backed by dozens of businesses and community organizations, would create battery-powered networks, or "micro grids," across the city that would equip homes, small businesses, churches and other institutions with battery power walls. It would also connect or help spur solar installations that could substantially reduce monthly electric bills, its backers argue.

The money is part of a $116 million deal agreed to la

See Full Page