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November 2015
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Opportunity at Hand
Not only would I get to hear about the state of this technology and its deployment on the grid at the conference, I
would also get a chance to poll friends, colleagues and subjectmatter experts on nomenclature (that is, autonomous network).
After all, I have had some of my most proftable learning experiences sitting around a PES breakfast table or during coffee
breaks, and this topic promised to be fun.
As a past chair of the PES T&D committee, I have a wide
base of friends and colleagues who love spirited discussions
as much as I do, and they had some strong opinions on zany
names. Interestingly, the autonomous network term usually
brought a lot of blank looks from around the table. Generally,
someone would ask, Do you mean microgrids? Then the discussions would get interesting.
Many of these individuals were working on applications
still in development while others were installing them on the
grid, but pretty much everyone favored the microgrid term.
Of course, a few people present had to add terms such as
mega grid, mille grid, nano grid and centralized grid,
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MICROGRIDS
Are Everywhere
The key to the future of the grid
is understanding microgrid technologies.
By Gene Wolf, Technical Writer
What Is a Microgrid?
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minds because some promoters of microgrids have been
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other way around. Fortunately, the International Council
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nition gaining traction within the industry.
According to CIGRE, Microgrids are electricity distribution systems containing loads and distributed energy
resources (such as distributed generators, storage devices
or controllable loads) that can be operated in a controlled,
coordinated way either while connected to the main power
network or while islanded.
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cal utility network, such as an island.
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with the local grid but can maintain some level of service
in isolation from the grid, such as a university or corporate
campus
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the utility network, serving multiple customers within the
community. It is a cluster serving a group of customers.
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A microgrid has a group of distributed generation with control devices, a method to disconnect from the utility grid and a
localized load. Courtesy of Siemens.
Nano grid The smallest microgrid network with the capability of operating independently, such as a single building.
Combining the CIGRE defnition with the Microgrid Institutes categorization provides the order needed to keep everyone on the same page. These microgrid systems have capacities and capabilities defned by customer requirements.
Looking under the technologys hood, one can see a microgrid
consists of components such as a controller (centralized or decentralized, depending on the design), some distributed generation sources, a fast separation device (breakers), a high-speed
communications system and some local loads.
The controller performs dynamic control over the system.
It is responsible for regulating power production and consumption within the microgrids boundaries (that is, the energy management system). It also performs actions such as grid
synchronization, system protection, cybersecurity, load shedding and ancillary services to the grid. The controller closely
monitors the interconnection with the central grid and, when
called to, can seamlessly transition from parallel operation
with the central grid to island mode.
The distributed generation portion of the microgrid system
supplies electrical power to the protected loads. These sources
can range from fossil-fuel-operated resources such as diesel
and natural gas generators to renewable-driven microturbines,
fuel cells, solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines. With
the appropriate systems in place, microgrids also are expected
to participate in energy markets one day.
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Remote islands like the island of Faial in the Atlantic Ocean are microgrids in themselves. They are adding more wind
generation to their power mix, and that is causing problems with the power supply. Courtesy of ABB.
microgrid technology will grow globally from the $4.3 billion spent in 2013 to nearly $20 billion by 2020. The report
also stated, Under a more aggressive scenario, revenue could
reach $36.2 billion annually.
In a press release from Navigant, Peter Asmus, a principal research analyst, said, Microgrids are inching their way
into the mainstream ... The number of companies active in the
space, and the range of applications of microgrids, are growing
exponentially.
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Microgrid technology can be used for energy management when connected to the utility grid and provide power when
islanded. Courtesy of Siemens.
Energy storage is improving the demand-response capabilities of a microgrid, thereby helping to reduce system loads
during critical peak conditions. It also improves renewable
dispatchability. With all these benefts, it is easy to see why
the worldwide microgrid market is developing so rapidly. Superstorm Sandy and other extreme weather events have been
hard to endure, but they had a silver lining by putting pressure on the industry to accelerate the use of technologies like
microgrids and all their components.
Transmission & Distribution World l November 2015
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Marble Bar, located in Australias outback, has tremendous solar resources that require the stability a microgrid can offer.
Courtesy of ABB.
One Size
Does Not Fit All
Microgrids come in all sizes and shapes; therefore,
ftting individual solutions to each application
can be challenging.
By Gene Wolf, Technical Writer
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electrical power to the customer.
This sounds pretty complicated, but it is
actually a dialogue about grid reliability and
grid resiliency. The driving force behind this
discussion is the issue of how to deal with
prolonged power outages brought about by
extreme weather conditions and issues such
as grid security. At frst glance, reliability
and resiliency may seem like the same thing.
However, the distinction between these
terms has generated a great deal of attention
in the industry, with microgrid technology
becoming the focus of the reliability-resiliency discussion.
Ross Island is located in Antarctica, where electric power is not taken for
granted. The microgrid used here must be dependable. Courtesy of ABB.
Dynamic Technology
The versatile microgrid really came to center stage after
Superstorm Sandy. The technology seems to have become
the focus of the reliability-resiliency discussion. Helping
that dialogue is a recent report from the U.S. Department of
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A microgrid is a stand-alone power system complete with generation, distribution and loads. The technology integrates all
the components into a reliable system. Courtesy of ABB.
Transformation
Often after a catastrophic event such as Superstorm Sandy,
there is a great deal of talk and no action. As time passes, so
does the attention span, but this has not been the case with
microgrid technology. A great deal of activity has taken place
in the U.S. with programs and projects developed to harden
the grid.
In Connecticut, the governor announced a statewide microgrid program to power public services and some businesses
in the event of widespread outages on the power grid.
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Various Sizes
One of the most successful microgrid adaptations to date
has been the combined heat and power (CHP) technology. It
is one of those new-yet-old categories of technology. Edison
used this feature at his Pearl Street station. He provided heat
from the steam generators to the buildings around the facility.
Today, DOE estimates the U.S. currently has about 4,100
CHP facilities in service. These facilities have a combined
generation capacity of roughly 8 GW. The DOE also pointed
out there are approximately 200 multifamily housing communities in the CHP database, so this technology is versatile.
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Microgrid Projects
Navigant identifed more than 12,000 MW of microgrid capacity throughout the world, up from 4,393 MW last year.
Here are a few of the microgrid projects that are under construction, in service or planned in the coming years.
Type of Project
Country
Description
Project Name
United States
Planning
Singapore
Under construction
Kodiak Island
United States
2015
SP AusNet GESS
Australia
2014
Italy
Develop a microgrid
that can be adapted to cities.
2015
Spain
2014
Building microgrid
Canada
2014
Community microgrid
United States
Under construction
Faial Island
Azores
2013
Doomadgee
Australia
Planning
University of Genoa
Lanzarote
PowerStream
Blue Lake Rancheria
The addition of PV, distributed wind, fuel cells and natural gas generation has redefned what size microgrid is costeffective. Because of such a wide selection of generation, microgrids can be supplied in a wide variety of sizes, ranging
from a few hundred kilowatts to multi-megawatt applications.
Generally, residential-sized microgrids serving one family or perhaps a neighborhood is usually less than 50 kW
but could go up to 1 MW or 2 MW. Small industrial microgrids are commonly rated more than 200 kW, but less than
5 MW. Utilities have been working on feeder microgrids ranging from 5 MW to 20 MW. The substation microgrid is typically larger than 20 MW. Rural microgrids come in various
sizes defned by what the end user needs.
Marble Bar, Australia, is a good example of a small microgrid helping a remote community to take advantage of a
rich renewable source. Marble Bar has a 300-kW PV-powered
plant that was added to existing diesel generators to form a
microgrid. The intermittent energy provided by 2,000 singleaxis solar modules is stabilized by ABBs PowerStore kinetic
fywheel grid-stabilizing technology, while the microgrid system is controlled by ABBs Microgrid Plus networked control
system. Together, these technologies enable peak penetration
of renewable-generated energy of 85%. On average, 60% of
the energy demand of Marble Bar is being supplied by solar
energy, which displaces about 400,000 liters of fuel a year,
equivalent to 1,100 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Completion Date
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AusNet Australia has installed a hybrid grid energy storage system (GESS) 1-MWh battery with a 1-MW diesel generator that
is controlled by ABBs Microgrid Plus control system. Courtesy of ABB.
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Even parking can be used for microgrid generation, as shown here for
the Oncor microgrid. Photo by Rick Bush.
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This advanced lead-acid battery with S&Cs grid storage management system has been applied to a PV farm to reduce
the intermittency of the solar power. Photo by Gene Wolf.
parallel, in tandem, or with the Oncor grid. The choice is dependent on the system conditions.
Oncor selected S&C Electric Co. and Schneider Electric to
design and build its microgrid. Other partners included ABB,
Kyocera, Princeton Power Systems, SMA Solar Technology
and Tesla.
The interconnected microgrids have nine different distributed generation resources including 104-kW PV arrays,
a 65-kW gas microturbine, one 200-kW stationary battery, a
25-kW community battery, a 200-kW diesel generator, two
175-kW diesel generators and a 45-kW propane generator
for a total peak capacity of 989 kW upon loss of grid power
in emergencies, plus the Oncor grid for power selection in
non-emergency operations. The microgrid is a combination of S&Cs advanced distribution automation equipment
and Schneider Electrics Microgrid Controller along with its
StruxureWare Demand-Side Operation technology.
The system uses high-speed communications and distributed grid intelligence to determine the most effcient use of
power resources and to guarantee power to critical site operations in the event of an extended grid outage. The energy storage portion of the system can take power from the Oncor grid
or the facilitys generation resources.
Interestingly, one of the batteries is manufactured by Tesla
Motors and the other by S&C. This style of microgrid is located on the customers side of the meter, but Oncor happens to be
the customer. Oncor will explore how similar microgrids and
services could be provided or supported by the utility for other
Microgrid Variety
Microgrid technology is being adapted in ways never
thought of when developers started deploying pilot projects to
prove the concept. The Ross Island microgrid took grid stabilization to a new level with a fywheel smoothing out the windgenerated power while using a frequency converter to enable
the microgrid to feed two asynchronous power systems.
One innovative application was the combining of one fuelbased generator with one renewable energy generator to form
hybrid microgrids. That has been surpassed with microgrid
projects like Oncors mix of multiple-fueled generators and
energy storage with PV.
These project and others being developed are proving the
concept of public-purpose microgrids. These clustered microgrids can function like building blocks. Under normal conditions, they can operate in parallel to the utility grid. When
an unexpected event takes place such as a feeder problem, they
can be independent of the grid and each other. In the event of
a much larger event such as a storm, they can operate in larger
combinations to meet the needs of the community.
Microgrids are changing the business models for industry
and for utilities. Of course, it could be expensive and, in many
cases, disruptive, but the shift to this old-yet-new technology is
inevitable and a trend the industry cannot afford to sit back and
watch. Besides, the challenge is too much fun to ignore.
Transmission & Distribution World l November 2015
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Kodiak Island is isolated from the mainland power grid. Its power system is critical not only to the economy but to life itself.
Courtesy of ABB.
Sustainable Microgrids
Microgrids are being hybridized with renewable
generation and energy storage.
By Gene Wolf, Technical Writer
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facilities prior to deployment. The goal of the Potsdam microgrid project is to develop a system that can be adapted to
other towns and communities susceptible to extreme weatherrelated disasters like Potsdams ice storms.
Solar Microgrids
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9-MW wind generation with some
diesel backup.
The system also has two 1.5Commercial/industrial
4,500
MW battery systems, so it is truly
Community/utility
4,000
a hybrid system. The city of KoCampus environment
diak decided to upgrade its die3,500
Military stationary base
sel crane to an electrically driven
Remote/off-grid
crane with more capabilities than
3,000
the diesel crane. The electric crane
2,500
was expected to generate power
fuctuations, which could destabi2,000
lize an isolated grid like the one on
1,500
Kodiak Island. Something had to
be done to the cooperatives grid
1,000
to address this issue.
500
Kodiak Electric Association
selected
ABB to provide an enhanced
microgrid.
The system
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
included
two
ABB
1-MW
PowerYear
Store grid-stabilization generators. These devices are based on
Microgrid capacity is projected to continue its growth at substantial levels.
a fast-acting spinning fywheel
Courtesy of Pike Research.
technology with ABB inverters to
store
short-term
energy
to
absorb
and inject both real and reacEurope will begin an upswing and North America, primarily the United States, will continue its year-over-year growth. tive power onto the microgrid. PowerStore also can be outftThe Solar Energy Industries Association points out low PV ted with batteries or whatever the customer specifes, so it is
costs are driving the record PV installation. The association fexible.
The ABB microgrid provides voltage and frequency supalso noted most of the major solar companies now offer some
port to the Kodiak Electric Association grid. The fywheel
form of energy storage with their systems.
component also extends the life of the two battery systems
by reducing the wear and tear during charge-discharge cycles
Microgrids with Storage
Figures from GTM show battery storage technology is cur- caused by the electric crane. Its energy management capabilirently integrated into 44% of the installed microgrids in the ties reduce the intermittencies from the islands 9-MW wind
United States. If renewables are playing such a substantial part farm, which is why this is such an interesting application of
in the generation component, it only makes sense customers hybrid microgrid technology.
are adding storage to mitigate the intermittency of PV systems.
Storage also improves the capability of
a microgrid. Energy storage gives the microgrid an enhanced ability to be used in demand management and energy management
systems, but there are more storage options
available than batteries.
Alaska leads the world in microgrid deployments, according to Navigant Research.
One of the more interesting microgrid installations took place on Kodiak Island off
Alaskas southern coast. Kodiak Electric
Association is a rural electric cooperative
serving a population of 15,000 with no interconnection to the mainland. Many years ago,
the cooperative committed to producing 95%
of its electricity using renewable generation
Isolated islands such as Kodiak offer unique opportunities to prove the
by 2020. Today, the majority of its 28 MW value of microgrid technology when integrating renewable energy into the
of power is produced by hydrogenation and islands power grid. Courtesy of ABB.
Capacity (MW)
5,000
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Microgrids come in various sizes that can power buildings or much larger areas. Courtesy of ABB.
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1. Failure management in MV
networks
2. (dec.) grid opeation in MV
networks
1. Islanding
2. Reduction of power demand
3. Manage maximized PV production
on LV network regarding constraints
and exibility programs
4. Encourage resident to adopt smarter
habits according to network state
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Isolated Microgrids
The ability of the microgrid to island itself from the grid
and supply power to the community is a huge selling point for
the devices. This allows remote populations the ability to be
self-suffcient energy islands, which is not the same thing as
being cut off from the grid.
For example, Native American reservation communities are not always located close to a utility grid and extending distribution lines can be super expensive, which is why
microgrids are considered an attractive alternative to line
extensions. GreenBiz reported, According to the Energy
Information Administration, around 14% of households on
Native American reservations lack access to electricity, 10
times higher than the national average.
The CEC has provided a $5 million grant to help fund the
Blue Lake Rancheria microgrid project, located in northern
California. The microgrid will be powered by a 0.5-MW PV
installation, 950-kWh battery storage system, biomass fuel
cell system and diesel generators.
The Blue Lake Rancheria and Humboldt State Universitys
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The key to successful microgrid deployment is having the necessary components for the project. Courtesy of ABB.
begun to be realized. Studies report that some areas of Africa have very good conditions for constant wind energy, not
to mention solar resources. That makes microgrid technology
very valuable for renewable energy integration and the most
cost-effective solution to provide electricity to local communities. One of those areas is Marsabit, an oasis at the edge of the
desert in a windy area of northern Kenya with a population of
5,000 that is not connected to any national grid.
Located on top of a windy hill, a diesel generator has been
the only generation source producing electricity. Socabelec
East Africa Ltd. has decided to add wind turbines to the existing installation and to stabilize the resulting microgrid through
ABBs PowerStore. The grid-stabilizing generator will interface with both diesel power station and wind turbines and will
allow for maximum penetration of the clean wind energy so to
reducing reliance on fossil fuel and emissions.
Microgrids are not just for remote locations or isolated networks. Buildings can require microgrids, too, especially when
they need to provide for their own power needs. This condition is very common in countries where the main power grid
is under-dimensioned or cannot keep up with the fast pace of
additional power demand.
In such countries, many buildings, facilities and industrial
sites are forced to install their own generation plants to ensure
uninterrupted power supply when main network faults occur.
ABBs offces in Longmeadow, Johannesburg, South Africa,
meet these requirements. This building will have a microgrid
with a PV energy source, an integrated diesel generator and
storage batteries. It is being used to demonstrate microgrid
technology to the rest of the African continent.
Mainstreaming Microgrids
There has been a great deal of activity in the microgrid
world in the past fve years. The technology has moved from a
20
Remote communities often rely solely on fossil fuel for their energy
needs, even if it comes at a high financial and environmental price.
Thanks to ABBs microgrid solutions, stable, high-quality power can
reach the most distant locations with 100 percent peak renewable
penetration. ABB is the pioneer and world-leader in microgrid solutions.
http://new.abb.com/power-generation/microgrids-solutions