If you’ve seen solar panels installed on rooftops or wind power being generated off the shores of coastal locales, use smart thermostats, electric vehicles and EV charging systems, fuel cells, or heat pumps, or participate in a local microgrid, then you’ve witnessed some examples of the use of distributed energy resources, also known as DERs.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), distributed energy resources involve “a variety of technologies that generate electricity at or near where it will be used” as opposed to relying on a more centralized power generation source. DERs support everything from single homes and businesses to huge industrial facilities, college campuses, and entire municipalities. (This is often through a microgrid that ties into a central electric utility’s local distribution lines). Based on their demonstrated ability to reduce electricity costs to ratepayers, improve power quality, reliability, and resiliency, engage in the “intelligent” process of two-way electricity flow, and help meet environmental and sustainability goals through their use of renewable energy sources, they’ve become increasingly popular.
Benefits of Distributed Energy Resources
Thanks to DERs, homes and businesses can reduce their dependence on the aging electric grid— portions of which are over a century old and in need of an upgrade. DERs also help minimize the risk of power outages that have risen in tandem with the growing frequency of severe storms and other natural disasters globally. At the same time, DERs offer greater control to end users by enabling them to generate the energy they need for their own use, sell it to the market, and/or modify their own energy demand.
As such, one doesn’t have to look far to see evidence of the growing market and demand for DERs worldwide. For instance:
- On the solar panel front, Fortune Business Insights predicts that the global solar power market will nearly double from US$254 billion in 2023 to US$437 billion by 2032.
- Statista projects that the market for global battery energy storage will grow from US$5 billion in 2023 to US$18 billion by 2030, an over three-fold increase.
- Electric cars, which represented just 2% of all vehicles globally in 2018, accounted for some 18% of all cars sold in 2023.
- Smart thermostat sales in the U.S. are expected to triple from roughly US$1.3 billion in 2022 to US$3.9 billion by 2029.
Growing Demand
The outlook for DERs continues to look bright, for many reasons. Declining initial price points are bolstering demand for these technologies. Additionally, federal support and funding through such legislation as America’s Inflation Reduction Act (enacted in August 2022) are driving demand for a range of DERs by providing financial rebates and incentives that encourage their adoption. Similarly, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order No. 222 (issued in September 2020) will financially compensate the owners of groups of qualified DERs for the power and services they provide to the electric grid. According to the World Resources Institute, this incentive will “[create] a new long-term value stream for the people and entities using these resources.”
Similar actions have been undertaken around the world to help fuel the proliferation of DERs. In Europe, for instance, the ‘European Green Deal’ and ‘Clean Energy for all Europeans’ legislative initiatives are promoting the integration of renewable energy sources and DERs. The International Energy Agency confirms that DERs will be critical to the ongoing energy transformation in China.
Ultimately, experts confirm that the ongoing transition to DERs will promote a more reliable, energy-efficient, and equitable energy system worldwide.
Challenges Abound
While DERs offer many benefits, including the promise of greater resilience, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability, experts nonetheless confirm that there are also many challenges associated with their use.
Among them, the harmonious operation of these systems and devices will require significant investments in new power generation and storage technology. In addition, with so many small-scale DERs being activated at a decentralized level and on disparate platforms worldwide, experts at the World Resources Institute warn that integration of these devices with central power sources can trigger power quality, compatibility, and reliability issues that will require a greater degree of grid management to control.
For all of these reasons, there’s never been a greater need for IEEE Standard 1547, which is designed to ensure the interconnection, interoperability, and safety of DERs connected to the electric grid.
“Before the adoption of this standard, there were significant challenges in connecting renewable energy sources to the grid, as each technology had its own set of protocols and requirements,” explained Christopher Sanderson, energy storage industry expert and IEEE Senior Member. “The development of IEEE Standard 1547 has made it possible for different types of DERs to work together seamlessly, ensuring that electricity generated from various sources can be reliably, [safely], and efficiently distributed and integrated into the grid without causing disruptions.”
Navigate IEEE Standard 1547 Through a Targeted Course Program
Introduction to IEEE Standard 1547-2018: Connecting Distributed Energy Resources is a six-course program developed by IEEE to help train entire technical teams on how to best implement this important standard. The course program reviews testing, verification, and interoperability requirements. It also covers clauses and annexes of IEEE Standard 1547-2018, and power quality issues that can result from the interconnection of DERs with utility grids.
Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn more about getting access to this program for your organization.
Interested in access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN).
Resources
Hurst, R.W. What is Distributed Generation? Distributed Energy Resources. The Electricity Forum.
Distributed Generation of Electricity and its Environmental Impacts. United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Richmond-Crosset, Kyle and Greene, Zachary. (30 September 2022). How Distributed Energy Resources Can Lower Power Bills, Raise Revenue in US Communities. World Resources Institute.
(May 2022). Unlocking the Potential of Distributed Energy Resources. International Energy Agency.
Ali, Junaid. (16 August 2024). The Future of Energy and Distributed Power. Forbes.
(5 August 2024). Solar Power Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Technology. Fortune Business Insights.
Sanderson, Christopher. (30 June 2024). The Power of Standards: How IEEE-1547 Shapes Our Energy Future. LinkedIn.
Will Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) Change How We Get Our Energy? European Parliament.
Prospects for Distributed Energy Systems in China. International Energy Agency.
By their very nature, engineers are expert planners who are trained to take many factors into consideration as they design, construct, and maintain a broad range of complex systems and structures across the market’s wide variety of industries and applications. However, one variable that’s proven more difficult to account for over the years when it comes to electric grid resiliency has been the weather and its increasingly volatile nature.
According to a recent report by the American Meteorological Society, climate change is leading to more extreme weather around the world and increasing the risk of everything from violent storms to unprecedented heat waves, floods, droughts, and other natural disasters.
Resilient Electric Grids in the Face of Weather Events
The growing incidence and severity of weather events has had an especially significant impact on electric grids worldwide, with a recent report from science and technology organization Climate Central confirming that the resultant frequency of weather-related power outages is rising.
“We’re going to require a more robust grid than was built previously,” said Jen Brady, a lead analyst for Climate Central.
Consider Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 hurricane, whose widespread storm surge knocked out power to 2.7 million customers in Florida— nearly 25% of the state’s residents— in September 2022. Another example is Storm Ciarán, whose 100 mph winds resulted in power outages for millions of residents across France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom in November 2023. Elsewhere, Typhoon Lan knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers throughout western Japan in August 2023, and over 2.1 million customers lost power following a powerful storm that hit Sao Paulo, Brazil in November 2023. More than 500,000 homes and businesses in southeastern Australia’s capital region lost power in February 2024 after a violent storm damaged a major power plant’s transmission network.
The fact is, many electric grid systems worldwide haven’t caught up to the climate reality we’re now experiencing globally. As a result, planning for unforeseen weather emergencies and taking steps to ensure the increased resiliency of electric grids has become more essential than ever for utilities and the communities they serve.
In response, electric utilities worldwide are engaging in a variety of proactive initiatives to “harden” their systems. According to Power Magazine, these measures include upgrades to the quality, capacity, and efficiency of transmission and distribution circuits and components, employment of tree-trimming and other vegetation management activities, the use of artificial intelligence platforms to better predict the impact of forecasted storms, and the installation of intelligent sensors and smart meters to help identify and restore power outages.
Starting From the Ground Up
Electric reliability and grid resiliency take on another meaning altogether for the estimated 750-800 million people around the world— nearly 10% of the world’s population— who currently have no access to electricity at all. The majority of the affected population live in sub-Saharan African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Ethiopia. Here and in other underdeveloped regions, the establishment of “minigrids” has been deemed the quickest and most cost-effective way to bring power to remote locations where no large, central electric grids exist.
Distributing electricity generated by renewable sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage, hydropower, and diesel generators, minigrids are a solution which, due to their sustainable design and reliance on renewable power sources, The World Bank believes can provide electricity to up to 500 million people by 2030 while also reducing the world’s carbon footprint.
The construction and activation of minigrids is already making positive inroads globally. For example, recently implemented hydro-powered minigrids have brought much-needed electricity to over 1.5 million people in Nepal. Elsewhere, a system of nearly two dozen minigrids is successfully distributing energy to over 10,000 rural residents of West Bengal, India. Additionally, thanks to US$150 million in funding from The World Bank, Kenya’s government recently announced plans to build 137 solar minigrids designed to provide electricity to nearly 300,000 households in remote sectors of the nation.
Enabling Access
Minigrids hold great promise for providing access to electricity in undeveloped communities worldwide, especially in Africa, where the use of minigrids could impact the greatest number of people most quickly.
IEEE encourages professionals to learn more about minigrids in an effort to adopt and accelerate their deployment in communities where they can offer significant benefits.
Through Minigrids in Africa, a four-course program from IEEE, learners are introduced to the distinct opportunities and challenges of deploying electric minigrids that provide reliable power to millions of people in Africa, where many currently have no access to any sources of electricity. Topics covered include the contextual, technological, regulatory, and policy considerations for minigrids in Africa, as well as their design and deployment, operation, and future on that continent.
This course program is ideal for everyone from minigrid engineers, project managers, developers, and entrepreneurs to national grid engineers, managers, and policy and regulatory professionals.
Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn how to get access to this program for your organization.
If you’re interested in access for yourself, visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN).
Resources
Allard, Anthony. (18 August 2022). Preparing the Grid for an Above-Average Hurricane Season. Power Magazine.
Karlin, Sam. (9 October 2022). Hurricanes Ian and Ida Hammered Two States’ Electric Grids. Nola.com.
Deger, Bill. (5 November 2023). Storm Ciarán Turns Deadly in Northern Europe, as 100-mph Winds Knock Out Power For Millions. AccuWeather.
Hersher, Rebecca. (9 January 2023). Climate Change Makes Heat Waves, Storms and Droughts Worse, Climate Report Confirms. NPR.
Boadle, Anthony and Moreira, Camila. (6 November 2023). Hundreds of Thousands Still Without Power Days After Storm Hits Brazil’s Largest City. Reuters.
Proffer, Erica. (6 October 2022). A New Report Shows Weather-Related Power Outages ono the Rise. KVUE.
Haun, Andy. (12 April 2019). Micro or Mini: There’s a Grid Type for Every Energy Need. Microgrid Knowledge.
Wood, Elisa. (28 March 2020). What is a Microgrid? Microgrid Knowledge.
(25 June 2019). Mini Grids for Half a Billion People: Market Outlook and Handbook for Decision Makers. The World Bank.
The Africa Minigrids Program. United Nations Development Programme.
(27 February 2023). Solar Mini Grids Could Sustainably Power 380 Million People in Africa by 2030 – if Action is Taken Now. The World Bank.
Mwirigi, Cosmas. (14 March 2023). Kenya to Combat Rural Energy Access Gap With Over 130 solar Minigrids. PV Magazine.
According to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), climate change is defined as a long-term change in the earth’s average weather patterns. Many natural events over time can contribute to climate change, including cyclical ocean patterns and volcanic activity. However, industry experts confirm that the precipitous rise in heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels resulting from the burning of fossil fuels by humans over the past 50-75 years has greatly accelerated changes in the earth’s climate. It has contributed to significant global warming— a reality which affects every living thing and natural process.
As a result of its far-reaching impact on the future of our planet, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, identified climate change as “the defining issue of our time” in a September 2018 address to the UN’s General Assembly.
In response to the growing crisis, industry professionals worldwide are applying the utmost in engineering expertise and technological advancements in everything from electric vehicle (EV) charging technology to renewable energy sources and more to help combat the effects of climate change. The goal is to drive greater sustainability that will benefit generations to come.
Advancements in Electric Vehicle Energy Use
Optimal Vehicle-to-Grid Solutions (V2G)
Electric vehicle charging company Virta estimates that 250 million EVs could be on the road worldwide by 2030. With global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) on the rise, “vehicle-to-grid” (V2G) solutions refer to technologies that help offset climate change. This is done by enabling the energy generated from electric vehicle batteries to be pushed back to the power grid, thereby optimizing energy use. To help achieve this, engineers are currently developing new ways of balancing and efficiently storing energy generated by the range of renewable sources.
EV Battery Swapping Stations
Electric vehicle owners must routinely charge their car batteries in order to keep their vehicles on the road. To address that inconvenience, a number of companies are proposing a slightly different approach known as EV battery swapping. Through the “battery swap system” offered by San Francisco-based company Ample, for instance, EV owners can reduce their car’s downtime by swapping out their spent battery at a designated station for a fully-juiced one in just five minutes— which would make it faster than any EV charger on the market today.
Solutions for Enhancing Residential Sustainability
Hybrid Energy Management Systems to Reduce Home Energy Use
The development of an innovative Hybrid Home Energy Management System (HEMS) over the last several years helps enhance residential energy efficiency by offering homeowners options. Specifically, the system’s analytics will determine whether it’s more sustainable to source electricity from the electric grid or from the home’s own renewable generation technologies (such as solar panels and battery storage units). This solution has been lauded for its ability to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and electric bills while giving homeowners greater ability to personally combat climate change.
Behind-the-Meter Home Resources
“Behind-the-Meter” energy refers to power generated on a homeowner’s property without passing through a utility meter. This is accomplished via the use of residential renewable technologies such as solar panels, small wind turbines, battery energy storage, and local microgrid systems. Some sustainability-forward leaders, like the state of California, are currently re-evaluating tariffs and price signals on the use of these technologies to help promote more equitable adoption of these practices.
Conserving Energy at the Commercial/Industrial Level
Energy-Saving Approaches for Data Centers
While data centers lie at the heart of today’s highly-connected world, they’re also some of its greatest energy hogs. Research shows that data centers accounted for 1 to 1.5% of the entire world’s energy consumption in 2022. The average hyperscale data center consumes between 20 and 50 Megawatts of power annually— enough to power some 37,000 homes— and experts at DataCentre Magazine predict that the energy consumed by data centers worldwide will quadruple by 2030.
One key way of achieving greater energy efficiency and sustainability in data centers involves the application of advanced approaches to cooling the space. This is being accomplished through liquid cooling technologies and direct-to-chip cooling methods, two approaches in which the U.S. Department of Energy is heavily invested.
Conserving Energy at the Commercial/Industrial Level
Energy-Saving Approaches for Data Centers
While data centers lie at the heart of today’s highly-connected world, they’re also some of its greatest energy hogs, with research showing that data centers accounted for 1-1.5% of the entire world’s energy consumption in 2022. The average hyperscale data center consumes between 20 and 50 Megawatts of power annually – enough to power some 37,000 homes – and experts at DataCentre Magazine predict that the energy consumed by data centers worldwide will quadruple by 2030.
One key way of achieving greater energy efficiency and sustainability in data centers involves the application of advanced approaches to cooling the space. This is being accomplished through liquid cooling technologies and direct-to-chip cooling methods, two approaches in which the U.S. Department of Energy is heavily invested.
Reducing Traffic Congestion Globally
Addressing “Congestion Collapse” in the Developing World
In many developing countries throughout Africa, South America, and Asia, the combination of narrow, poorly-built roads all converging together in highly congested areas results in lengthy traffic jams and delays. This process, known as “congestion collapse,” is notorious for promoting fuel waste and the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Among other solutions, experts encourage the use of “de-congestion protocols” using live CCTV camera feeds from multiple traffic signals in combination with targeted algorithms to expand road capacity and help prevent the congestion and pollution that occurs in these settings.
IEEE: A Renowned Source in the Climate Change Arena
Given the global threat that climate change represents, and as a recognized hub for engineers and technologists, IEEE is a go-to source for the latest in climate change-related technologies and sustainable design. Among the many available resources is a new course, Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable Future. This online training provides a solid overview of the range of activities and innovative developments in the sustainability arena.
Broken into easily-digestible, seven to ten-minute modules on leading topics drawn from research papers within the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable Future covers everything from intelligent urban networks that can alleviate congestion and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) solutions for distribution system reliability to hybrid home energy management systems for emission reduction, energy-efficient data center climate control policies, optimal resource scheduling based on export rates, and electric vehicle battery swapping stations.
Within the convenience of just one hour, learners can stay on top of innovative developments in the climate change realm and receive a thorough overview of modern-day engineering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges. Plus, learners who complete this microlearning course will earn professional development hours (PDHs) and continuing education units (CEUs).
Learn More>>
Resources
What is Climate Change? The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
(26 September 2018). UN’s Guterres on Climate Change: ‘We Need to Do More and We Need to Do It Quicker.’ United Nations.
Jain, Vipin, Sharma, Ashlesh, and Lakshminarayanan, Subramanian. Road Traffic Congestion in the Developing World.
Everything You Need to Know About V2G. Virta.
Barja-Martinez, Sara, Rucker, Fabian, Aragues, Penalba, and Villafafila-Robles, Roberto. (February 2021). A Novel Hybrid Home Energy Management System Considering Electricity Cost and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Minimization. Research Gate.
Barrowclough, Nicholas. (16 November 2023). Transforming Data Centre Cooling for a Sustainable Future. DataCentre Magazine.
Marsh, Jacob. (6 December 2023). Behind-the-Meter: What You Need to Know. EnergySage.
Balaraman, Kavya. (14 December 2021). California’s Proposed Net Energy Metering Update Could Hit Distributed Solar Hard, Industry Warns. Utility Dive.
Crownhart, Casey. (17 May 2023). How 5-Minute Battery Swaps Could Get More EVs on the Road. MIT Technology Review.
With electricity powering every corner of life and work in modern society, the absence of reliable access to electricity can indelibly impact a community or country’s ability to function, conduct business, and make the forward progress necessary for a positive and productive future.
The Need for Minigrids
Recent statistics confirm that an estimated 750-800 million people— some 9-10% of the world’s population— don’t have access to electricity. While progress has been made towards improving global access to electricity— and the current number of people living without electricity is half of what it was 20 years ago— the impact of the pandemic along with rising food and fuel prices globally have driven an increase in the worldwide number of people living without electricity for the first time in more than a decade. This trend is especially concerning in sub-Saharan African countries, where over 550 million people already live without electricity, and where population growth in such countries as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Ethiopia is outpacing electric connections.
These realities have placed more emphasis than ever on the need to expand access to reliable power in Africa. They have also led to concerted global efforts to establish minigrids in the continent’s most underdeveloped regions. Deemed the quickest and most cost-effective way to bring power to remote locations where no large, central electric grids exist, microgrid projects in undeveloped regions worldwide are bringing hope to vulnerable communities that might otherwise be relegated to a future of poverty.
What Are Minigrids?
There are currently three types of grid structures through which electricity is distributed to users:
“Macrogrids” are centralized electric grids designed to serve large populations. Present in modern industrial economies such as North America, Europe, and China, macrogrids manage electricity supply and promote reliable energy generation and distribution to all customers.
“Microgrids” are local, self-sufficient energy systems that are designed to support a defined community of users. With their ability to either operate independently of a macrogrid or tap into it if necessary, microgrids help ensure greater resiliency, reliability, and power quality for users.
Optimal for remote or rural locations that have little or no access to a larger macrogrid, “minigrids” are smaller-scale microgrids designed to distribute electricity generated by such renewable sources as solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage, hydropower, and diesel generators. Following a recent decline in the cost of minigrid construction and the subsequent kWh cost of the electricity they generate combined with an increase in their quality and performance, the World Bank suggests that, with the right amount of investment, minigrids powered by all sources “have the potential to provide electricity to as many as 500 million people by 2030.” And because they’re powered by renewable sources, minigrids can also help reduce the world’s carbon footprint by potentially avoiding the emission of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
According to the United States Agency for International Development, examples of successful minigrid projects in underdeveloped nations around the world in the past decade include:
- The construction of hydro-powered minigrids in rural Nepal that currently provide electricity to over 1.5 million residents,
- A collection of 23 solar-powered minigrids that are successfully distributing energy to 10,000 rural residents within remote, swampy communities in West Bengal, India, and
- A hydro-powered minigrid that’s bringing much-needed electricity to both local residents as well as The Mufindi Tea and Coffee Company factory in rural Tanzania.
Electrifying Potential
The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) is one of several organizations currently working to promote global private and public investment in solar battery-powered minigrids throughout 21 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the organization aims to enhance quality of life and support socio-economic development for hundreds of millions of individuals for generations to come.
“While Africa remains the least electrified continent, it also has the biggest potential for solar minigrid deployment,” confirmed Gabriela Elizondo Azuela, Manager of the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), which forecasts that solar-powered minigrids alone could power 380 million people in Africa by 2030 if properly supported and funded.
Help Achieve a Balance of Power With IEEE
Minigrids hold great promise for providing access to electricity in undeveloped countries and communities worldwide, especially in Africa, where the use of minigrids could impact the greatest number of people most quickly.
Minigrids in Africa, a four-course program from IEEE, introduces learners to the distinct opportunities and challenges of deploying electric minigrids that could provide reliable power to millions of people in Africa, where many currently have no access to any sources of electricity. Topics covered include the contextual, technological, regulatory, and policy considerations for minigrids in Africa as well as their design and deployment, operation, and future on that continent. This course program is ideal for everyone from minigrid engineers, minigrid project managers, and minigrid developers and entrepreneurs to national grid engineers/managers and policy and regulatory professionals.
Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn how to get access to this program for your organization.
Interested in access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN).
Resources
Cozzi, Laura, Wetzel, Daniel, Tonolo, Gianluca, and Hyppolite II, Jacob. (3 November 2022). For the First Time in Decades, the Number of People Without Access to Electricity is Set to Increase in 2022. International Energy Agency.
Ritchie, Hannah. (30 November 2021). The Number of People Without Electricity More than Halved Over the Last 20 Years. Our World in Data.
Haun, Andy. (12 April 2019). Micro or Mini: There’s a Grid Type for Every Energy Need. Microgrid Knowledge.
Wood, Elisa. (28 March 2020). What is a Microgrid? Microgrid Knowledge.
(25 June 2019). Mini Grids for Half a Billion People: Market Outlook and Handbook for Decision Makers. The World Bank.
The Africa Minigrids Program. United Nations Development Programme.
(27 February 2023). Solar Mini Grids Could Sustainably Power 380 Million People in Africa by 2030 – if Action is Taken Now. The World Bank.
Today’s residential and business sectors have never been more dependent on the reliable flow of electricity. From consumers demanding instantaneous internet connectivity—both at home and on-the-go— to the vast majority of businesses both large and small relying on uninterrupted electric power, electricity is critical to keep operations running, communications intact, and more.
However, while electricity is key to much of daily life, numerous developments have recently put a strain on the electric grid and stand to impede the continuous and reliable flow of electricity. Some of the factors that have led to issues of both resiliency and sustainability for electric users include:
- the ever-expanding electricity demands of a growing population
- the increased frequency of powerful storms and other natural disasters that cause power outages and damage utility assets
- aging grid infrastructure that drives inefficiencies and power quality losses
One solution that could offer a win-win solution to these dilemmas is the emergence of microgrid technologies.
Benefitting From Self-Sufficient Energy Systems
According to industry sources Microgrid Knowledge and the U.S. Department of Energy, microgrids are self-sufficient energy systems that support a defined community of users. Such communities could be a university campus, a hospital, a corporate center, or a residential neighborhood.
Typically driven or supported by solar power, wind turbines, battery energy storage systems (BESS), generators, fuel cells, and other renewable energy sources, microgrids can operate independently from the main electric grid if needed. Essentially, the microgrid becomes an energy “island” that’s impervious to power disruptions experienced by the main grid. At the same time, microgrid use of local generation reduces power losses that are inherent in the traditional long-distance transmission and distribution (T&D) of electricity. For example, across the United States’ nearly six million miles of T&D lines, losses can be up to 15% and some European Union countries experience up to 17% power losses.
Through sophisticated software, microgrids can also be “intelligent” in terms of their ability to optimize use of multiple energy resources to achieve any of a number of specific goals. Common goals include securing the least expensive energy (perhaps by purchasing energy from the main grid if that’s the cheapest source on a particular day), producing the greenest energy or the most reliable supply, as well as other objectives.
A Solution of Choice
Based on these powerful capabilities and benefits, microgrid technologies have been the solution of choice for a range of critical projects.
For example, energy infrastructure provider AlphaStruxure recently announced its plan to create and operate an 11.34 MW microgrid that will transform JFK International Airport’s new terminal into “the first fully resilient airport transit hub in the New York region that can function off-grid during power disruptions.”
Back in 2011, a hurricane and snowstorm knocked out power to 750,000 area homes in Hartford, Connecticut for nearly two weeks. But thanks to a microgrid recently built by the city of Hartford, power now reliably flows to a number of the city’s most critical and life-sustaining environments, including a healthcare facility, school, gas station, and grocery store.
Similar microgrids built in the past five to ten years are helping to sustain operations at college campuses including Princeton University in New Jersey and New York University in Manhattan, as well as at Co-Op City, a housing development that’s home to over 50,000 residents in The Bronx, New York. Additionally, Microsoft recently announced its intention to build a new data center microgrid in San Jose, California.
International examples include planned microgrids at The Royal Mint in Wales and the Chub Cay Resort Marina in The Bahamas. The World Bank also plans to fund six microgrid projects in rural Nigeria.
According to Annette Clayton, CEO of Schneider Electric North America, the organization which will be providing microgrid technology, software, and services to AlphaStruxure’s microgrid installation at JFK Airport, “microgrids solve two of the most serious challenges — resilience and decarbonization — with a single solution.”
Get Up to Speed on Microgrid Technologies
Whether you’re a city planner, an energy service provider, operate a mission-critical facility that’s reliant on the continuous flow of electricity, or are a savvy energy user or professional, it behooves you to learn more about the operation, benefits, and inner workings of microgrids.
The IEEE Academy on Smart Grid Microgrids offers a solid overview of microgrid technologies and their integration with renewable energy sources and energy management systems. Upon completing this five-hour online training, learners will gain a better understanding of the latest trends, technologies, solutions, and applications for microgrids. Learners will also explore the benefits, challenges, best practices, and insights related to microgrid modeling, analysis, protection, and control.
For more information or to enroll in this program, please visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN)
Resources
Office of Electricity. The Role of Microgrids in Helping to Advance the Nation’s Energy System. U.S. Department of Energy.
Wood, Elisa. (28 March 2020). What is a Microgrid?. Microgrid Knowledge.
Brush, Kate. (Accessed 30 August 2022). DEFINITION: finite element analysis (FEA). TechTarget.
Innovation & Policy: Energy Efficiency. T&D Europe.
AlphaStruxure to Design, Construct, and Operate JFK’s New Terminal One Microgrid, Creating the Largest Rooftop Terminal Solar Array in the U.S. (26 January 2023). AlphaStruxure/PR Newswire.
Gies, Erica. (4 December 2017). Microgrids Keep These Cities Running When the Power Goes Out. Inside Climate News.
Wood, Elisa. (15 June 2022). Enchanted Rock to Build California’s Largest RNG Microgrid for Microsoft. Microgrid Knowledge.
Wood, Elisa. (11 January 2022). 22 intriguing microgrid projects to watch in 2022. Microgrid Knowledge.
Today’s modern smart grid connects a variety of distributed energy resource assets to the power grid. This creates a diverse and disparate system, which both individuals and power companies can impact, with enormous benefits. Distributed energy collection assets (such as solar panels) are essential to increase the use of green energy, which helps the environment and can reduce costs. Furthermore, consumers have greater insight into their energy usage through modern smart grid technology, allowing them to better conserve energy.
However, an individual’s increased access to the grid can jeopardize the security of the entire system.
Consumers Putting the Smart Grid at Risk?
Because they are often installed and controlled by the consumer, distributed energy resources can put the power grid as a whole at risk. For example, consumers who do not properly secure their devices and/or networks are prime targets for attack. If there are enough compromised devices on a smart grid, bad actors can destabilize the power system and cause significant damage.
Efforts to Increase and Standardize Smart Grid Security
There are efforts underway to increase the security of the smart grid in order to harness the benefits while avoiding the security pitfalls. For example, the European Network for Cyber Security (ENCS) and the European Distribution System Operators’ Association (E.DSO) recently released suggested cyber-security requirements for smart meters (SM) and data concentrators (DC). These guidelines help network operators choose SMs and DCs that enhance security of the smart grid. By creating a consistent set of requirements, smart grids across Europe have a built-in baseline of security.
Planning a Secure Smart Grid
In order to avoid catastrophic results, today’s smart grid operator needs to have a plan in place that accounts for security.
As Ed Wood, CEO of Dispersive Networks, writes in SC Magazine, “Attack-resilient, secure virtual IP networks can be designed and rolled out, which will enable utilities to ensure a more secure overall grid. Advanced virtual networking software that offers the highest level of security is available today and can be integrated directly into Distributed Energy Resource assets, enabling them to ‘plug-n-play’ into ultra-resilient virtual cloud networks. Leveraging the processing and memory of these devices and the public Internet is essential to lowering costs.”
This tactic can help secure the smart grid while taking advantage of the environmental and cost-saving benefits of distributed energy resources.
Modernizing the Smart Grid from IEEE
Want to learn more about the smart grid? Check out Modernizing the Smart Grid, a new 4-course online learning program from IEEE.
One of the biggest frontiers in electrical engineering today is the development and implementation of smart grid technology. Fueled by the global demand for greener technologies and alternative fuels, environmentally-friendly smart grid technology can stimulate stagnated economies. It also has the potential to change the way power is delivered to electricity consumers around the world.
Modernizing the Smart Grid, now available on the IEEE Learning Network, is designed to get you and your team up to speed quickly on the latest smart grid technologies. Interested in bulk discounts for your organization? Contact us today, and we’ll put you in touch with an IEEE Account Specialist.
Resources:
Wood, Ed. (18 Jul 2019). How Securing DER Smart Grids Differs from Securing Traditional Energy Grids, and Why it Matters. SC Magazine.
SmartCitiesWorld News Team. (23 Jul 2019). Europe seeks to harmonise smart grid security requirements. SmartCitiesWorld.