Category: Electrical Grid

Securing Critical Infrastructure with Renewable Energy

Critical Infrastructure could include facilities such as communication towers, electrical substations, hospitals, and water treatment plants. Without a steady flow of electrical power to operate these facilities, public safety could become compromised.  Many of these facilities have on-site resources, such as a diesel generator, to mitigate this risk. This may work for short-term electrical outages, but what happens during a widespread outage that lasts a week or more?

An uncomfortably familiar situation such as this arose in Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricanes Maria and Irma.  Many areas were without power for months. What could be done to mitigate risks to critical infrastructure during these events? A great solution for securing the electrical power could be developed through renewable energy resources. These resources could be designed to provide the normal daily power for facilities, such that the electrical grid would be the back-up power, and not vice versa. Through this solution, critical infrastructure would be capable of ongoing function even when the surrounding electrical grid is down.

It is encouraging to see that one of the studies regarding Puerto Rico’s electrical grid rebuild includes focus on providing such renewable energy resources to critical infrastructure.

From the report:

Build Back Better:
Reimagining and Strengthening the Power Grid of Puerto Rico

Page 30: As natural disasters such as Hurricanes Irma and Maria occur in the future, it is imperative that critical infrastructure and remote, isolated communities can restore power to key services in a timely manner. Moreover, these critical loads may need to operate in isolation for days at a time. A large-scale investment in microgrids can pave the way for a more resilient Puerto Rico.

A microgrid is a specific section of the electric grid –representing as large an area as an entire community, down to as small an area as a single building – that has thecapability of “islanding” itself from the rest of the electricgrid and operate in isolation for hours or even days at a time, while most of the year they retain connection to the centralized grid. This is accomplished via the strategic deployment of DER such as solar, battery storage, backup generators, and control equipment.

The WG recommends pursuit of two specific deployment alternatives to harden portions of the PREPA electrical system, particularly those serving critical infrastructure and loads:

• Critical infrastructure such as hospitals, police and fire stations, emergency shelters, critical communications infrastructure (i.e., cellphone towers), water treatment plants, airports, sea ports, telecommunication centers, commercial centers, and industrial centers could operate in isolation and provide much-needed services to Puerto Ricans immediately after a natural disaster. Industrial, airport, sea port, commercial, and telecom sites may be considered, first as an expense to those entities and second, as an alternative to the recommendations provided should implementation become untimely. The installation of onsite backup generation, combined heat and power systems (CHP), rooftop solar, battery storage, and building energy management systems at strategically located sites can create a series of self-powered, autonomous centers to help the local communities recover in the immediate aftermath of a storm.

• Remote communities that are more difficult to return to service after an outage, or that are served by a single utility line, could remain disconnected from the grid while still providing much-needed electricity to both critical infrastructure as well as local grocery stores, gas stations, and community centers. The installation of solar, battery storage, feeder automation control systems, load control equipment, and similar technologies could allow for these communities to more quickly recover from natural disasters.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/PRERWG_Report_PR_Grid_Resiliency_Report.pdf

Here at U.I.I., research regarding the integration of renewable energy resources for the security of critical infrastructure has been under development. If you are interested in research on this subject, contact us!

Super-capacitor Usage for Transportation and Beyond

Super-capacitors have begun widespread integration into the transportation sector. This technology is available in China for charging electric buses, it is utilized in London, United Kingdom for new double-decker buses, and is expected to be become a large part of the bus market in the United States of America. The benefits over batteries include rapid charging, increased cycle life, and lower maintanence. Batteries, however, to still hold inherent benefits of energy density and electrical storage duration. Dual battery-capacitor systems could help revolutionize automobiles, charging infrastructure, and electrical grid usage.

From the article:

A fluke breakthrough could be the missing link for an electric car age

Most see the first use for this technology not within cars, but as a key part of the charging infrastructure. “Roughly half of the population doesn’t live in a place where they can charge overnight at home,” says Tim Martin, director of Zapinamo, which is developing flexible electric charging stations. Those people need access to rapid charging facilities instead, but Martin says the national grid would struggle to supply electricity at the speeds required.

Large storage units full of supercapacitors could start popping up at service stations, to act as a buffer between electric cars and the grid. They could charge slowly, outside of peak times when electricity is cheaper, and then deliver that energy to multiple vehicles rapidly when required. “Stored energy is the only way that you can combine instantaneous power with the speed of charging that makes range anxiety go away,” says Martin.

The same approach could also be a game-changer for renewable energy. Because solar and wind are unpredictable, the electricity they generate needs to be stored so it can be released during lulls. “When everyone puts on the kettle after dinner, that sudden spike in demand has to come from somewhere,” says Cooper. At the moment, that is done mostly by pumping water uphill and running it back through turbines when energy is needed, but supercapacitors offer much more flexibility because they can respond so quickly.

“Wind, wave and solar energy is available but it is intermittent and, without storage, cannot be relied upon to meet our energy needs,” says Highgate. “This new work would transform the energy system which underpins our way of life – it is the necessary development before we and our children can have a genuinely sustainable, environmentally safe energy supply.”

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/superdielectrics-supercapacitor-electric-car-battery

Here at U.I.I., there has been an increased focus on electric vehicles. If you are interested in research on this subject, contact us!

Department of Energy (ARPA-E) Pursues Long-Duration Energy Storage

The leadership at ARPA-E (The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy) is providing research funding opportunities for energy storage.  Watch for an increased focus on energy storage mechanisms.  This is critical for the large-scale integration of renewable energy resources such as wind and solar.

From the article:

Department of Energy Announces Funding to Support Long-Duration Energy Storage

“Energy storage will play an increasingly critical role in the resilient grid of the future. Storage systems provide important services, including improving grid stability, providing backup power and allowing for greater integration of renewable resources.”

https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=news-item/department-energy-announces-funding-support-long-duration-energy-storage

Here at U.I.I., the development of energy storage mechanisms is seen as critical to the future of energy sustainability. If you are interested in research on this subject, contact us!