1. DOE Microgrid R&D Needs
Steve Bossart
Military Smart Grid & Microgrids Symposium
November 15, 2012

2. Topics Vision and goals Workshop background DOE microgrid R&D needs
List of topics
Vision and goals of OE and its R&D program
Background on creation of the R&D needs
Specific R&D needs aligned by these five areas.
Standards and best practices to ensure interoperability and cyber protection
-Technology development
Modeling, simulation, visualization
Analytical work - cost and benefits, sensing and control, protection
-Evaluation and demonstration – integration of technologies into a smart grid

3. Vision and Goals

4. Microgrid and OE’s Performance Target
Definition by
Microgrid Exchange Group
OE’s 2020 Performance Target
A microgrid is a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid. A microgrid can connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate in both grid-connected or island-mode.
Develop commercial scale (<10MW) microgrid systems capable of reducing outage time of required loads by >98% at a cost comparable to non-integrated baseline solutions (UPS + diesel genset), while reducing emissions by >20% and improving system energy efficiencies by >20%
Definition developed by the Microgrid Exchange Group (MEG)—a group of individuals working on microgrid deployment and research
Key attributed are underlined.
Doe developed long term performance targets as the first step in a microgrid research effort
Required loads include such things as hospitals, police & fire, data centers, military facilities, telecom switch centers, some industrial processes
was thinking of $1,600 per kW (2001 $) but I believe this was the figure that we used for peak load reduction:  Demonstrate peak load reduction on distribution feeders with the implementation of distributed energy (DE) and energy management Systems (EMS) at a cost competitive with a system/capacity upgrades (i.e., cost not to exceed $1,600 per kW in 2001 dollars). 4

5. Microgrids & Smart Grids
Central
Generation
Transmission
Load
Distributed Generation
E-Storage
Distribution
Microgrid

6. A Possible Future Distribution Architecture
Municipal Microgrid
Distribution Control
Utility Microgrid
Military Microgrid
Industrial
Microgrid
Campus Microgrid
Commercial Park
Microgrid

7. Microgrid-Enhanced Distribution System
Ease CHP application
Support increase in renewables
Arbitrage of energy price differentials
Enhance G&T using DER for peak shaving
Enhanced reliability with intentional islanding
High local reliability
Energy during outages
Serve critical loads
Arbitrage – balance cost between MG consumption, export, import, and storage

8. Background FY2012 DOE Microgrid R&D Workshop

9. DOE Microgrid R&D Needs Workshop Topics
FY2011
FY2012
Standards and Protocols
System Architecture Development
Systems Design and Economic Analysis
Modeling and Analysis
System Integration
Power System Design
Switch Technologies
Steady State Control and Coordination
Control and Protection Technologies
Transient State Control & Coordination
Inverters/Converters
Operational Optimization
These will be the areas that guide future microgrid R&D FOA.

10. Development of Microgrid R&D Needs
2012 DOE Microgrid Workshop Details
Followup to August, 2011 microgrid workshop in San Diego, CA
July 30-31, 2012 at Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
100 participants including 13 from 8 foreign countries
Vendors, electric utilities, national labs, universities, research institutes, end users
Purpose
Identify system integration gaps
Define R&D needs to meet functional requirements
Contribute to DOE microgrid R&D roadmap
Contribute to DOE Smart Grid R&D multi-year program plan
Provide content for possible microgrid R&D FOA

11. DOE OE Microgrid R&D Needs
Microgrid Workshop Results
Much of this presentation is derived from the DOE OE multiyear R&D plan covering It was originally published in 2010 and an update is under review prior to release.
The original smart grid R&D plan was created from discussions held at a smart grid roundtable meeting in December 2009 that included multiple types of stakeholders (e.g., national laboratories, utility commissioners, utilities, vendors). Stakeholders were divided into five R&D groups to focus on particular topics.
Guides R&D solicitations
Sets priorities
Sets interim goals
Measures progress

12. FY2012 DOE Microgrid R&D Areas
Planning and Design
System Architecture Development
Modeling and Analysis
Power System Design
Operations and Control
Steady State Control and Coordination
Transient State Control and Coordination
Operational Optimization

13. Microgrid R&D Needs

14. System Architecture Development
Define microgrid applications, interfaces, and services
ideal architecture and use cases
electrical and information architecture
transition existing grid to better incorporate microgrids
Interface standards for interconnection, communications & information
Open architectures with flexibility, scalability, & security
develop interoperable distributed controls and flexible architecture to facilitate different applications
move to plug-and-play features for generation & load
controls to include flexibility for power consumption, storage, import, and export

15. Modeling and Analysis
Performance optimization methods and uncertainty in the modeling and design process
Local and dynamic control of power quality
Assessment of diminishing returns of PQ & outages
Better modeling of vehicle-microgrid connection including understanding of mobile sources
Model power & communication together to assess interoperability
Develop a standard set of collaborative tools that:
addresses uncertainty
has a more holistic approach to integration of assets
broadly assesses value streams
validates the models and other tools

16. Power System Design DC Power
establish codes and standards for DC applications in residential, commercial, and industrial environments
develop standard design methodologies and software tools
develop DC system control methods and algorithms
implement a strategy to promote DC microgrids
Improve power electronics (lower cost, higher function and reliability)
Microgrid Integration
develop a resource guide (i.e., handbook) to available products, costs, installation methods, valuation methods
standard methods for analysis of microgrid e-storage vs. using main grid
control and communications interfaces from microgrid to main grid
modeling needs to benchmark performance, support design, stochastics
universal power electronics to fit multiple resources

17. Steady State Control and Coordination
Internal Services within a Microgrid
Develop a standard set of hardware and software that supports the communication protocols and cybersecurity standards already developed to allow DER to plug-and-play
Develop three-phase estimators based on phasor measurement units (PMUs) and compatible instrumentation for run time control
Develop a better understanding of methods of decoupling frequency and voltage
Demonstrate a system that can synchronize and reconnect a microgrid under all edge conditions (high PV penetration) for all classes of microgrids.
DER interface with legacy systems such as dumb inverters
Interaction of Microgrid with Utility or Other Microgrids
Evaluate microgrids against other existing utility mitigation tools and schemes (e.g., counter intermittent renewables)
Evaluate potential effects of multiple microgrids on the stability of the grid and potential regulations, economic incentives, and control schemes that could be used for mitigation
Tools to manage microgrids and their resources in cooperation with main grid assets
Develop a technical, operational, and economic model to demonstrate the value of microgrids to utilities through simulation and case studies
Evaluate risk of microgrid to add instability (rogue agents)
State estimation in distribution
Run time control – generation and load on/off and cycling
Voltage control – inject VAR; frequency control - watts

18. Transient State Control & Coordination
Develop transient control strategies considering stability limits, additional local and system-wide controls, …
Develop system-wide ride-through capabilities while protecting personnel and equipment
Define impact of types of communication and identify requirements (e.g., latency, reliability, redundancy, …)
Develop 3-phase unbalanced dynamic stability analysis models and Reference Study for transient stability analysis
Develop technically mature, commercially-available autonomous transition control and protection concept and products that meet the defined capabilities
Validate standard microgrid component models for protection and transient studies

19. Operational Optimization
Operational Optimization of a Single Microgrid
Develop real-time (RT) and near-RT controls that incorporate optimization
Evaluate a variety of optimization techniques
Data management (i.e., collect, validate, store, analyze, visualize)
Develop methodology for comparing microgrid baseline to optimized microgrid operations for potential input into business case analysis.
Operational Optimization of Multiple Microgrids
Develop RT and near-RT controls that optimize multiple microgrids
Develop methods to negotiate conflicting objectives and optimizations between multiple microgrids
Evaluate variety of optimization techniques applied to multiple microgrids
Develop methodology for comparing multiple microgrid baseline to optimized microgrid operations for potential input into business case
Address possible issue with processing capabilities

20. Contact Information
Merrill Smith & Dan Ton Program Managers Microgrid R&D U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Delivery and Energy Reliability (202) (202)
Steve Bossart Senior Energy Analyst U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Lab (304)
Key Microgrid Resources:
DOE OE
Smart Grid