Signal 4: Microgrids and Grid Modernization
Following my last signal topic, “Breaking through the Barriers for Developing Cleantech Innovations”, I introduce microgrids here because it may also be my final paper topic. Microgrids today are not only a technology in many fields but also a direction of development and goal of grid modernization for every city and country in the world. It is a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the macro/national grid. A microgrid can connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate in both connected or island-mode. It can include low-voltage distribution systems with distributed energy resources from sustainable energy technologies like micro-turbines, fuel cells, and photovoltaics. It can also include storage devices, like flywheels and batteries, and energy management system to adapt flexible loads, making it a perfect carrier for promoting the use of cleantech and sustainable energy sources.
In the journals I attached above, microgrids are THE key element for modernizing the power grid, connecting smart cities, and saving energy bills. Grid modernization is important because it substantially increases energy use efficiency and greens energy sources from those having huge environmental impacts like coal to more sustainable ones like wind, solar, and even nuclear. Much less power would be wasted on the way of transmission if there is a net of microgrids everywhere. Grid modernization also lowers the risk of power outage and, if any, loss of power outage. This becomes extremely important when big natural disasters hit mega cities like hurricane Sandy in NYC and the series of hurricanes in Puerto Rico last year. Microgrids in island mode can temporally support communities and even towns during a natural hazard.
Given all the benefits of microgrids, we do have some barriers other than the pure technology that prevent this future to have been the present. Users’ bias is one of the most outstanding barriers that comes from large initial fixed cost of infrastructures, higher marginal cost of sustainable energy sources, lack of co-development and open sources in power supply industry, etc. Some of these are already solved by improving cleantech efficiency and policy subsidies, but the others still remain in the industry and need time and more efforts from residential and commercial customers to get through.
If you are interested in how grid rebuilding plans and city collaboration emerged after the long power outage happened in Puerto Rico last year, feel free to read through this one more report below because it really helps to understand how hard but important grid modernization is!!
