INTELLIGENT GREEN TECHNOLOGY
A microgrid can
connect and
disconnect from
the grid to enable
it to operate
in both grid-
connected and
island modes.
Microgrids boost adoption of
intelligent technologies
While the economic benefits of microgrids are well
established, the underlying technologies including
real-time network management are still in their
early stages, explain Martin Baier, Vijay Bhavaraju,
William Murch, Sercan Teleke, all at Eaton.
F
actors such as increasing
occurrences of natural disasters,
the ongoing threat of cyberattacks
and growing awareness of inadequate,
outdated or failing grid infrastructure all
compel future development in technology
to provide power continuity. Traditional
standby generation is no longer adequate.
Microgrids provide a platform to keep
the power on and operate critical assets over
long periods of time while isolated from
a damaged or failed grid. Microgrids can
generally better manage distributed power
generation by providing optimal control,
dynamic stability and balancing the demand
and generation on a small but critical scale.
A microgrid is defined as a group of
interconnected loads and distributed
energy resources within clearly defined
electrical boundaries that act as a single
controllable entity with respect to the grid.
In essence, microgrids are standalone
electrical power systems that consist
of multiple generating assets and often
storage sources supplying loads that can
be powered independent of the primary
utility transmission and distribution grid.
Two of the greatest benefits of
microgrid technology are increased
reliability and power quality to large
critical loads like mega-scale datacentres
and hospital districts. Onsite generation
already exists in these loads and microgrid
technology enhances the reliability
by sourcing the loads in addition to
transmission and distribution systems.
Despite these many benefits,
some technical and regulatory issues
must still be addressed to realise the
full potential of microgrid systems.
Economic barriers include the high cost
of building microgrids from scratch, the
cost of upgrading legacy equipment and
infrastructure to operate microgrids, net
metering issues, regulatory and market
issues, the high cost of components,
difficulty in quantifying the benefits,
funding and maintenance.
Technical challenges include
technology immaturity, upgrading legacy
generator controls, addressing complex
energy imbalances to ensure optimal
control, islanded microgrid protection and
ensuring cybersecurity needs. Lastly, as
communications become faster and more
data intense, microgrid systems must
also adapt to current real-time network
demands and interfaces.
In most current microgrid designs, a
few key components can be outlined. The
microgrid is tied to the upstream grid via
a point of interconnection is managed
by different controller architectures. Of
greatest importance are the microgrid’s
local controllers, different from the device
controllers, which are typically configured
for energy storage, photovoltaics, engine-
41