Electric Distribution R&D Peer Review 2006
Project Summary
YOUR ORGANIZATION:
GE Global Research
PROJECT TITLE:
Microgrid Design, Development and Demonstration
PRESENTERS:
Sumit Bose
FY 2005 FUNDING:
NA
FY 2006 FUNDING:
$ 596,539 for Phase I from DOE (including $100,000 to NREL)
START/COMPLETION DATES:
Nov 4, 2005 till December 31, 2007 (Phase I and II together)
Acknowledgement: This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under award # DE-FC0205CH11349.
Overall Project Purpose and Objectives: Provide a brief project description. Identify specific project goals and objectives.
Outline the major milestones that have been set for the entire timeframe of your project. Explain how this project contributes to
the achievement of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electric Distribution R&D program goals. Describe the expected benefits of
your project for the U.S. DOE and the Nation.
Microgrids are local power systems that use distributed energy resources (DER) and manage the local energy supply and
demand. They will increase the viability of DER in the bulk grid by aggregating them into clusters with better grid stability
properties than a multiplicity of standalone generators. Envisioned as having the ability to separate from the bulk grid and
function in island mode, they have the potential to enhance customer reliability and security, and grid resiliency, by reducing the
susceptibility to faults and disturbances. The DOE’s vision of the future electric power infrastructure, GRID 2030, identifies
microgrids as one of three major technical cornerstones for a more reliable and congestion-free energy delivery system, and
describes distributed intelligence and clean power as key technologies needing development.
Widely recognized technology gaps discourage the use of microgrids today. In particular, their low-inertia environment is not
presently conducive to the interconnection of inverter-based assets, and existing protection systems are inadequate. Furthermore,
the limited generation capacity in these grids, coupled with the intermittency of renewable energy sources, creates the need for
more intelligently coordinated operation of generation and loads to ensure a more stable and effective use of the available energy.
Finally, controls and protection to allow more autonomous separation and re-integration with the bulk grid need to be developed.
GE proposes a Microgrid Energy Manager (MEM) framework to investigate and develop:
• Advanced local controls for robust asset operation in low inertia grids;
• Advanced protection schemes for low inertia grids;
• Advanced energy management for optimization of energy utilization.
The proposed program is divided into two phases. In Phase I, GE will develop fundamental algorithms and architectures for these
technology areas. In Phase II, GE will select a subset of the technologies from Phase I for demonstration in a real-world multibuilding campus microgrid facility. GE Global Research will work with Rocky Research, the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, GE Energy and GE Consumer and Industrial to execute the program.
FY 2005 and FY 2006 Results and Accomplishments: Describe specific technical results achieved, milestones reached,
publications released, and any other accomplishments since the previous Peer Review in April 2005. (Can be in paragraph or
bullet form.)
Phase I of the program focuses on fundamental technology development, being guided through the use of case studies. In
particular, a comprehensive set of system requirements has been compiled from three diverse case studies that are deemed to
have market potential to ensure the technology can be broadly applied (task 1). These compiled requirements are used to drive
the detailed controls, energy management, and protection technology development (task 2), which will be evaluated through
simulation (task 3). GE shall also demonstrate a selected set of supervisory control functions in laboratory hardware (task 4).
The key accomplishments are:
a) Completed the task 1 deliverable, which explored the potential benefits and requirements of advanced microgrid
technologies over the baseline. Three distinct case studies, which span the range of Microgrid applications, were
evaluated to arrive at a comprehensive set of requirements.
b) Investigation of advanced local controls is almost complete. A novel control concept was developed and evaluated for
event and contingency scenarios using stability models.
c) Evaluating solution strategies for supervisory control and protection functions.
d) Two quarterly reports covering the topics above were submitted in February and May 2006.
Electric Distribution R&D Peer Review
May 25-26, 2006
Electric Distribution R&D Peer Review 2006
Project Summary
Ongoing tasks are as follows:
a) Detailed design and simulation of supervisory control algorithms.
b) Preparation of simulation models for case study analysis.
c) Hardware platform identification for supervisory control implementation.
d) Discussions with NREL on testing.
FY 2007 Plans and Expectations: Identify and describe your FY 2007 plans and expected FY 2007 milestones. Explain any
key technical barriers that you foresee and your strategy to overcome these barriers. If applicable, please provide 2008, 2009, and
2010 milestones.
Phase II is planned to be executed in FY2007. The objective of the Phase II program is to perform a real-world demonstration of
the controls and energy management technologies demonstrated in Task 4 of Phase I. GE will deliver a complete set of MEM
equipment for installation at the target site. Upon completion of the installation of the Microgrid controls and energy
management equipment at the selected site through a separate contract, GE will perform a specific set of operational tests to
evaluate the performance and benefits of the new technologies.
Public/Private Partnerships: Identify cooperative efforts and technology transfer/outreach activities related to this and related
projects. When answering, consider work with private industry, state and local government, federal government, national
laboratories, academia, and trade associations. List the major partners, including subcontractors, with whom you are
participating in this project, and the role they play in its completion.
The proposed team is made up of industry leaders in power generation, control, and thermal management. General Electric
Global Research is leading the team, made up of thermal experts Rocky Research, the DER experts at the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL), protection specialists at GE Consumer and Industrial’s Multilin, and GE Energy’s Network
Reliability Product and Services (NRPS).
The General Electric Company is uniquely qualified to make significant contributions to the development of microgrid power
systems. GE Energy is the world's leading power generation provider, with a complete offering from conventional generation
sources such as gas turbines and nuclear power plants to renewable energy such as wind and photovoltaics. GE Energy's T&D
organization, NRPS, provides advanced automation, metering, network management, protection equipment and monitoring and
diagnostics (M&D) services to the power industry. GE's Consumer and Industrial business provides advanced relay and
switchgear technology through its Multilin organization. GE Infrastructure provides many water treatment solutions that could be
deployed in microgrid systems as controllable loads.
The electric infrastructure systems R&D at National Renewable Energy Laboratory is focused on distributed energy testing and
certification, interconnection standards and codes; interconnection and control technologies, energy management and grid
support applications, and distributed energy regulatory and institutional issues. NREL will help in the demonstration in Phase I
using:
• A 200-kW grid simulator to emulate a utility connection for device and algorithm testing
• Load simulator with resistive, inductive, and capacitive elements
Rocky Research, located in Boulder City, NV is an engineering firm founded 1985 and employing twenty-five scientists,
engineers, technicians and support personnel. Its employee’s expertise encompasses mechanical and chemical engineering,
chemistry and physics. The role of Rocky Research will be:
• Build/provide thermal models for dynamic analysis in Phase I and
• Provide phase II consulting in installing the new CHP systems, if needed at the demo site.
Disclaimer: This document was prepared on account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States
Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any
warranty express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness
of the information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that it use would not infringe on privately
owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark,
manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the
United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily
state or reflect those for the United States Government or any agency thereof.
Electric Distribution R&D Peer Review
May 25-26, 2006