Increasing Resiliency Through Renewable Energy Microgrids

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · International Journal of Energy Sector Management

OSTI ID:1389210

Anderson, Katherine H. ^[1]; DiOrio, Nicholas A. ^[1]; Cutler, Dylan S. ^[1]; Butt, Robert S. ^[1]

---

1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

This paper describes a methodology to quantify the economic and resiliency benefit provided by renewable energy (RE) in a hybrid RE-storage-diesel microgrid. We present a case study to show how this methodology is applied to a multi-use/ multi-function telecommunications facility in southern California. In the case study, we first identify photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) technologies that minimize the lifecycle cost of energy at the site under normal, grid-connected operation. We then evaluate how those technologies could be incorporated alongside existing diesel generators in a microgrid to increase resiliency at the site, where resiliency is quantified in terms of the amount of time that the microgrid can sustain the critical load during a grid outage. We find that adding PV and BESS to the existing backup diesel generators with a fixed fuel supply extends the amount of time the site could survive an outage by 1.8 days, from 1.7 days for the existing diesel-only backup system to 3.5 days for the PV/diesel/BESS hybrid system. Furthermore, even after diesel fuel supplies are exhausted, the site can continue to operate critical loads during daytime hours using just the PV/BESS when there is sufficient solar resource. We find that the site can save approximately 100,000 dollars in energy costs over the 25-year lifecycle while doubling the amount of time they can survive an outage. Here, the methodology presented here provides a template for increasing resiliency at telecomm sites by implementing renewable energy solutions, which provide additional benefits of carbon emission reduction and energy cost savings.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: Time Warner Cable; USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1389210
• Report Number(s): NREL/JA--7A40-69034
• Journal Information: International Journal of Energy Sector Management, Journal Name: International Journal of Energy Sector Management Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 2; ISSN 1750-6220
• Publisher: Emerald Publishing Ltd.
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
hybrid RE-storage-diesel microgrid
RE
renewable energy
REopt