Transcript What is a Microgrid?

Integrated Firm, Reliable, High Quality Energy
Using Variable Energy Renewable Resources
The Altresco Approach
 Altresco has never sold or been in the
power plant business - we have always sold
“total reliability and lowest cost energy.”
 We have over 25 years of providing low
cost reliable energy and electricity
solutions for customers.
 Our first client was the General Electric
Complex, Pittsfield, MA (where the first AC
transformers were manufactured).
 Altresco sells reliable energy solutions not
equipment
 In 2005, we looked at the fleet of emerging
uncontrollable generation sources and
asked “How can we integrate this source
to improve the efficiency and reduce the
carbon footprint of customers?”
 Since that time this has been our base
business.
Microgrids - a small-scale, flexible, reliable
source of electricity
 In the search for more reliable ways to provide
electricity and to incorporate renewable
energy sources such as solar and wind —
much attention is focusing on the Microgrid
 What is a Microgrid?
 A small-scale power system that uses a
combination of generation, load and storage
devices to serve local customers
 The power is generated by the community for
the community, and any excess is fed directly
into the power grid
 Size of the Microgrid may range from homes to
municipal regions to industrial parks
Microgrids - Components
 Components of a Microgrid?
 Distributed Generation
 Loads
 Storage devices
 Controls
 Point of Common Coupling
Design of Microgrids
 A major challenge (and opportunity) is
deciding what components to choose and
then how best to operate them to meet
demand
 LAP™ Location Adaptation Protocol. This
allows each Microgrid to be designed
using optimum resources and provide
optimum benefits.
 The system should run as much as possible
on its renewable technologies, using the
diesel generators or batteries when more
power is needed
 The system should provide perfect
reliability—that is, it should never fail to
meet total customer demand
LAP™
Design of Microgrids
 Key design questions:
 How much generating capacity in solar PV
panels and wind generation?
 What do I need in diesel generators and
batteries or other storage sources for backup?
 What mix will provide the necessary
performance at the least cost, or with the
lowest possible emissions, or with some mix of
the two?
 Integration challenges:
 Voltage, frequency and power quality are three
main parameters that must be considered and
controlled to acceptable standards while the
power and demand are balanced
Design of Microgrids
 Integration challenges:
 Resynchronization with the utility grid is
complex and operation must be seamless
and automatic:
o when the power system shuts down, the
microgrid may need to ramp up generation and
possibly cut service to some customers; and
o when the power system comes back on, the
microgrid must resynchronize
 Microgrid protection is one of the most
important challenges
 Electrical energy stored in battery banks
or other storage devices will require more
space and maintenance
 Issues such as standby charges may
present barriers for Microgrid
Microgrids - a small-scale, flexible, reliable
source of electricity
 Microgrids are flexible
 Can provide electricity to remote loads or
communities
 Can be connected to a central power system,
selling and buying electricity as needed and
increasing reliability to customers by
continuing to operate even when the central
system goes down
 Microgrids can support integration of
intermittent energy sources (wind and solar)
 When the sun doesn’t shine or the wind
doesn’t blow, microgrid operators can get
power from batteries or diesel generators,
they can buy it from their utility, or they can
reduce demand by cutting service to selfselected customers or loads
Challenges with large scale integration of Wind
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Demand
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System Wind Power
MW
Alberta System Demand and Wind Power
Correlated Well Nov 6 2006
0
Time - 1 Hr per Division
Alberta System Demand and Wind Power
Do Not Correlate Well Jan 6, 2006
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Time - 1 Hr per Division
System Wind Power
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Supply
System Demand MW
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Supply-demand balancing
– wind can be unpredictable, increase or decrease
rapidly and patterns can be correlated or counter
to load (at night)
Limits to system flexibility
– need access to flexible resources considering
physical limits (ramping and start up times)
Reliability issues
– need mitigating measures, resources and the
scale/costs can escalate
Market Impacts
– can increase variability and uncertainty
Transmission
– upgrades are necessary to interconnect wind
resources
System Demand MW
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Variable Fuels Must Be Used When Available
• Variable generation often does not positively correlate with
electricity demand
Only 8 – 26% of
wind’s
“nameplate”
capacity is
available at times
of peak demand
for electricity
“Ramps” in
output can
challenge grid
operators
Wind & Solar
Electricity
Production
Appears
Complementary
Microgrids can assist with the integration of variable intermittent generation
resources
Microgrids assist renewables integration
 Power may be stored and shaped and conditioned
 Use of batteries or energy storage devices can allow use of otherwise
curtailed wind energy to be reused at times of peak
 Microgrid may make use of low cost wind energy when it is surplus to
the power system and assist system operators who may be dealing
with supply surplus conditions at night
 Microgrid control may also assist system operators with severe
ramping conditions caused by large scale integration of renewables
 Microgrid controls can be designed to support the region and the grid
with voltage, frequency and power quality
Microgrids for Islands and Remote locations
 Microgrid 2001
St. Paul, Alaska
Airport and industrial facility on the island of St.
Paul in the Bering Sea
• Owned and operated by TDX Power
• High-penetration wind-diesel system; all
diesels are allowed to shut off
• One Vestas 225-kW turbine installed in 1999 and
two 150-kW diesel engines with a synchronous
condenser and thermal energy storage
• Current average load ~70kW electrical, ~50kW
thermal
• Since 2003, net turbine capacity factor of
31.9% and a wind penetration of 54.8%
• System availability 99.99% in 2007
• In March 2008, wind supplied 68.5% of the
facility’s energy needs and the diesels only
ran 198 hours ~27% of the time.
• Estimated fuel savings since January 2005 (3.5
years) is 140,203 gal (530,726 l), which at
$3.52/gal is almost $500k
National
Renewable
Energy
• Annual
fuel
saving between 30% and 40%
Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy
Coral Bay, Western Australia
National Renewable Energy
Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy
Photo Credit: PowerCorp Australia
• High penetration wind-diesel system
using a flywheel and low load diesels
• Diesels remain on consistently
• Three Vergnet, 275-kW hurricane-rated
turbines, a 500-kW PowerCorp flywheel
and 7x320-kW low-load diesel engines
• Installed in summer 2007 by PowerCorp
Australia in collaboration with Horizon
Power and Verve Energy
• Average penetration for the first 10
months of operation was 55%
• In September 2007, wind supplied 76%
of the community’s energy needs with
instantaneous penetrations
consistently above 90%
Photo Credit: PowerCorp Australia
A small settlement of about 200 people
on the western coast of Australia with
high seasonal load
Mawson, Antarctica
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Installed in 2002-2003
Four 120-kW diesels with heat capture
Two Enercon E30, 300-kW turbines
Flywheel used to provide power conditioning,
although a diesel always remains operational
Electrical demand: 230 kW average
Thermal demand: 300 kW average
Total fuel consumption of 650,000 l per year
Average penetration since 2002 is 34%
Best monthly penetration is 60.5% in April
2005
Turbine availability 93%
Average fuel savings is 29%
Power station operation Web site:
http://www.aad.gov.au/apps/operations
National Renewable Energy
Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy
Photo Credit: PowerCorp Australia
•Plant that powers the Australian Antarctica
Research Station
Microgrids for Data Centers
Diagram of a
potential
configuration
and
components.
Firm Generation
source Gas or LF
Hot Thermal
Storage and
generation
Data Center
Substation
Ice Storage
Synchronous
condenser
Grid Connection
Data Center
Campus
Microgrids for Water, Food, Electricity and Energy
This illustration is an example of one way to achieve Maximum efficiency
with minimum carbon using a single interconnect system. This system
architecture could facilitate name plate wind generation of up to 100%
Microgrids - Benefits
 What are the benefits?
 Microgrids can provide electric service to regions and communities that
are currently unserved.
 The use of both electricity and heat permitted by the close proximity of
the generator to the user can increase the overall energy efficiency
 Can provide substantial savings and cut emissions
 Microgrid can facilitate the use of renewable energy sources
 Power generation units are small and are located in close proximity to
load
 Can provide high quality and reliable energy supply to critical loads
 Large land use impacts are avoided
 Large transmission build out may be reduced and transmission losses can
be reduced
IGLB™ Microgrids for Efficiency and Reliability
 Microgrid meets Major Grid
 Creating a firm electricity supply and subordinate
load balancing area with a single interconnect.
 Bidirectional electricity flow allowing ancillary
services on both absorption or voltage support.
 Creates power product rather than single plant
output.
 Can add power quality to both grid and “behind the
fence” loads.
Microgrids for India
 Microgrids for India
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Eliminates energy poverty
Integrates renewables
Integrates storage
Creates new forms of
consumer participation
 Improves quality of life
Microgrids and IGLB™
Microgrids can provide extraordinary energy and electricity
benefits for customers and communities
For more information on details and possible configurations of the system, or
information specific to individual site and/or specific projects please contact:
William Ross Williams
Altresco Integrated LLC
12925 N Sierra Cir
Parker, CO 80138
303 888 0380
[email protected]
www.altresco.com
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The Team
Altresco’s diverse team includes highly qualified members with
significant experience in each of the key areas of generation,
transmission, dispatch, gas, wind, solar, energy storage and grid
management:
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William Ross Williams - 35 years in industry and power development
Warren Frost - Electrical engineer with 34 years in utility operations, NERC Variable Generation Task Force
Dr. Thomas Sladek - Chemical engineer with Analysis Consulting experience on every continent.
Jerry Gotlieb - 40 years Power Engineering, management, operations.
Jeff Whitham - Control system designer with 20 years control system design experience
Dave Perry - Engineer and project manager with project management experience in 7 countries.
Bill Shanner - Utility advisor and creator of several DSM, Data Center , and No Fail Energy systems
Fred Buckman, Jr. – Advisor Specialist in system efficiency Improvements
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