Veolia North America managed the operations and maintenance of a 5.3 MW combined heat and power (CHP) solution to meet the needs of a global biotechnology company’s world headquarters and research campus. The plant received backup support from Veolia’s district steam system, and its construction was managed by Veolia’s energy consulting group, … [Read more...]
Addressing Mission Critical Energy Needs through MATEP Microgrid
October 10, 2017 By 2 Comments
The Medical Area Total Energy Plant (MATEP) supplies the critical energy needs of five hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School, as well as the Harvard Institutes of Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health. Owned by Mayflower Energy Partners, a joint venture between Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Veolia, the MATEP microgrid … [Read more...]
Solar Plus Storage Systems Capture Missed Opportunities for Utility-Scale PV Arrays
May 17, 2017 By Leave a Comment
North America currently has more than 20 GW of installed utility-scale PV generation, with more than 14 GW brought online in 2016 – the largest amount of PV installed to date. But is the majority of this base realizing its full potential? Solar plus storage systems offer a way for owners and operators to expand production hours, increase energy … [Read more...]
New Microgrid Testing Facility in Colorado to Offer Flexible Plug-And-Play
December 20, 2016 By Leave a Comment
A new private microgrid testing facility in Colorado will offer a pay, plug and play alternative to government labs that it hopes will attract innovators worldwide. Managed by MRIGlobal, GridNXT is slated to open in the first quarter of 2017 on 1,900 acres near Denver. The microgrid facility evolved out of what began as SolarTAC, which … [Read more...]
Microgrid Technical Challenges to Consider When Planning a Microgrid Project
November 28, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Many microgrid technical challenges are the standard issues that come up in any complex electric power system project, while others are unique. As you plan your microgrid project, be sure to consider technical challenges such as: Voltage and frequency stability. Correct microgrid design requires resources and the microgrid control … [Read more...]
Six Lessons Learned from an Oil Refinery Microgrid: Correcting Performance Issues Before Installation
November 7, 2016 By 1 Comment
What’s the best way to avoid performance issues – and associated expenses – during a microgrid system installation? Uncover and correct them ahead of time. A North American oil refinery microgrid did just that by investing in thorough Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) testing of its power management system. The oil refinery had installed new … [Read more...]
Energy Storage and the Supermajors…6 Policies to Up Corporate Use of Renewables…& More News
August 12, 2016 By Leave a Comment
What Total's energy storage play means for supermajors French oil company Total is the first oil “supermajor” entering new areas of business including solar plus storage and distributed energy generation, Lux Research says, and the other global oil supermajors — BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Total — should follow … [Read more...]
Grid-Connected Microgrids and Battery Technology
August 10, 2016 By 1 Comment
Grid-connected microgrids are considered the future of a smarter electric grid. So as large-scale battery technology and economies of scale continue to improve, many utilities are investigating the use of battery technology as the basis for Grid Energy Storage Systems (GESS). AusNet Services, the largest energy delivery service in Victoria, … [Read more...]
Avoiding Outages with Hydropower Microgrid…More Renewables in the North American Energy Mix… And Other Quick News
August 5, 2016 By Leave a Comment
A hydropower microgrid to avoid outages Following its second major outage in three years, the city of Idaho Falls is evaluating a hydroelectric microgrid plan with Idaho National Laboratory (INL). As reported by PostRegister.com, the microgrid would be powered by Idaho Falls' four hydroelectric plants on the Snake River, which can power as … [Read more...]
Integrating Renewable Energy into Microgrids: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies
August 4, 2016 By 1 Comment
The business case for microgrids is improving by the day. Microgrids offer tremendous potential to enhance reliability, resilience, and long-term energy security. As microgrid technologies continue to advance and costs decline, business models and regulatory structures are beginning to shift in recognition of the potential benefits these systems … [Read more...]
