These Terms of Use and Privacy Policy (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of mgrid.org (“Site”), operated by MGRID (“we,” “us,” “our”). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must discontinue use of the Site immediately.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing, browsing, or using this Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and all applicable laws and regulations. We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Site following any changes constitutes acceptance of revised Terms. Material changes will be indicated by updating the Effective Date above.
2. Description of Service
MGRID is an independent digital publication providing aggregated news coverage, technical analysis, and industry intelligence related to distributed energy systems, including but not limited to: microgrids, battery energy storage systems, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, data center power systems, and power quality engineering. Content is intended for informational purposes for industry professionals and does not constitute professional advice.
3. Intellectual Property and Press Rights
MGRID operates as an independent digital press publication under the protections of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and applicable press freedoms. Our editorial activities, including news gathering, reporting, commentary, and analysis of matters of public interest in the energy industry, are protected speech.
Content published on this Site, including our original analysis, commentary, article structure, metadata systems, and the compilation and arrangement of aggregated materials, is the property of MGRID and is protected by United States and international copyright laws.
Our aggregation of publicly available information from third-party sources constitutes fair use under 17 U.S.C. Section 107, based on the following factors: (a) our use is transformative, adding substantial original analysis, engineering commentary, structured metadata, and cross-source synthesis that creates new meaning and utility beyond the original works; (b) we report on factual matters of public interest in the energy industry; (c) we use limited portions of source materials, primarily factual data points, with proper attribution; and (d) our coverage does not substitute for or diminish the market value of original sources, and frequently drives traffic to them through direct source links.
MGRID does not reproduce copyrighted articles in their entirety. Our editorial process synthesizes facts, data points, and publicly reported information from multiple sources into original analytical works. All source publications are credited by name, linked by URL, and dated. This attribution practice exceeds industry standards for news aggregation.
Nothing in these Terms shall be construed to limit or waive any rights afforded to the press under the First Amendment, state shield laws, or other applicable privileges.
4. DMCA and Copyright Notices
MGRID respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects users to do the same. If you believe that content on this Site infringes your copyright, you may submit a notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. Section 512, containing: (a) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed; (b) identification of the material claimed to be infringing with sufficient detail for us to locate it; (c) your contact information; (d) a statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; (e) a statement under penalty of perjury that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the owner’s behalf.
Notices should be sent to [email protected]. We will respond to valid DMCA notices in accordance with applicable law. Counter-notices may be filed pursuant to 17 U.S.C. Section 512(g).
5. Disclaimer of Warranties
THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT, MATERIALS, INFORMATION, AND SERVICES PROVIDED ON THE SITE ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, MGRID DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
MGRID DOES NOT WARRANT THAT: (A) THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE; (B) DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED; (C) THE SITE OR ITS SERVERS ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS; OR (D) THE CONTENT WILL BE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE, CURRENT, OR ERROR-FREE.
6. Limitation of Liability
IN NO EVENT SHALL MGRID, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE) THE SITE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL MGRID'S TOTAL LIABILITY EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100.00) OR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO MGRID IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRIOR TO THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE LIABILITY, WHICHEVER IS LESS.
7. Technical Content Disclaimer
Content published on this Site may include technical specifications, engineering calculations, financial figures, regulatory references, and project data. While we strive for accuracy in all published content:
- Technical specifications should be verified against primary source documents before use in engineering design or procurement decisions
- Financial figures and project costs are reported as published by original sources and may be subject to revision
- Regulatory information is provided for general awareness and does not constitute legal advice
- IEEE, IEC, NFPA, and other standards references are for informational context and may not reflect the most current revisions
- Capacity ratings (MW, MWh, kW) are as reported by sources and may represent nameplate, rated, or net capacity depending on context
MGRID is not responsible for decisions made based on information published on this Site. Readers should consult qualified professionals for engineering, legal, financial, or regulatory guidance.
8. Use of Automated Tools
MGRID employs automated tools and artificial intelligence in our editorial workflow to assist with research, source aggregation, metadata generation, and content quality review. All published content undergoes editorial oversight. While we implement verification processes, automated content assistance may occasionally produce inaccuracies. We encourage readers to report errors to our editorial team.
9. User Conduct
You agree not to: use the Site for any unlawful purpose; attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Site; use any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means to access the Site for any purpose without our express written permission; interfere with or disrupt the Site or servers; transmit any viruses, worms, or malicious code; or impersonate any person or entity.
10. Comments and User-Generated Content
By submitting comments or other content to the Site, you grant MGRID a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, and distribute such content. You represent that you own or control all rights to content you submit and that such content does not violate any third party's rights.
We reserve the right to remove, edit, or refuse any user-generated content at our sole discretion, without notice.
11. Third-Party Links
The Site may contain links to third-party websites or resources. These links are provided for convenience only. MGRID has no control over and assumes no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites. Accessing third-party links is at your own risk.
12. Privacy Policy
Information We Collect
When you visit mgrid.org, we automatically collect standard web analytics data including pages viewed, referring URLs, approximate geographic location, browser type, and device information. This data is collected in aggregate form.
If you leave a comment, we collect the information provided in the comment form (name, email, website) along with your IP address and browser user agent string for spam prevention purposes.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use essential cookies to maintain site functionality and analytics cookies to understand usage patterns. Third-party analytics services may set their own cookies.
Analytics services in use: Jetpack Stats (Automattic), Google Analytics 4, Microsoft Clarity. These services collect anonymized, aggregate data about site usage. You may opt out of Google Analytics via the official browser add-on. Microsoft Clarity honors Do Not Track browser settings.
How We Use Information
Collected data is used to: improve site content and user experience; analyze traffic patterns and content performance; prevent spam and abuse; respond to reader correspondence. We do not sell, rent, or share personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.
Data Retention
Comment data is retained indefinitely to facilitate follow-up comment approval. Analytics data is retained per each provider's standard policies. Server logs are maintained by our hosting provider (Pressable/Automattic) per their retention schedule.
Your Rights
You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data by contacting us. We respond to verified requests within thirty (30) days. Certain data may be retained where required for legal compliance or security purposes.
Third-Party Service Providers
Pressable (hosting), Jetpack (statistics and security), Akismet (spam prevention), Google Analytics (traffic analysis), Microsoft Clarity (experience analytics), Mailchimp (newsletter distribution). Each service maintains its own privacy policy governing data processing.
Children
This Site is intended for industry professionals and is not directed at individuals under the age of thirteen (13). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
13. Governing Law
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. You agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Wake County, North Carolina.
14. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these Terms shall otherwise remain in full force and effect.
15. Entire Agreement
These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and MGRID regarding the use of the Site, superseding any prior agreements between you and MGRID relating to the Site.
16. Contact
For questions regarding these Terms, contact us through the form on our Contact page.