Increasing Resiliency Through Renewable Energy Microgrids

Anderson, Katherine H.; DiOrio, Nicholas A.; Cutler, Dylan S.; Butt, Robert S.

Title: Increasing Resiliency Through Renewable Energy Microgrids

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Abstract

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 themore »« less

Authors:

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

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

Publication Date:: Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017

Research Org.:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: Time Warner Cable; USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1389210

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-7A40-69034
Journal ID: ISSN 1750-6220

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: International Journal of Energy Sector Management

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 2; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 1750-6220

Publisher:: Emerald Publishing Ltd.

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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

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                    Anderson, Katherine H., DiOrio, Nicholas A., Cutler, Dylan S., and Butt, Robert S. Increasing Resiliency Through Renewable Energy Microgrids.  United States: N. p., 2017. 
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                    Anderson, Katherine H., DiOrio, Nicholas A., Cutler, Dylan S., & Butt, Robert S. Increasing Resiliency Through Renewable Energy Microgrids.  United States.

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                    Anderson, Katherine H., DiOrio, Nicholas A., Cutler, Dylan S., and Butt, Robert S. Tue .  
"Increasing Resiliency Through Renewable Energy Microgrids".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1389210.

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@article{osti_1389210,

  title        = {Increasing Resiliency Through Renewable Energy Microgrids},

  author       = {Anderson, Katherine H. and DiOrio, Nicholas A. and Cutler, Dylan S. and Butt, Robert S.},

  abstractNote = {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.},

  doi          = {},

  journal      = {International Journal of Energy Sector Management},

  number       = 2,

  volume       = 2,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017},

  month        = {Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017}

}

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