A partnership between the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Power, a Southern Company utility, aims to study "all the questions you can ask about a microgrid" through the 1.4-MW Tech Square Microgrid, a behind-the-meter demonstration project in midtown Atlanta on the Georgia Tech campus. Contact online >>
A partnership between the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Power, a Southern Company utility, aims to study "all the questions you can ask about a microgrid" through the 1.4-MW Tech Square Microgrid, a behind-the-meter demonstration project in midtown Atlanta on the Georgia Tech campus.
Owned by Georgia Power, the Tech Square Microgrid began operating in June and will serve Georgia Tech''s Coda building, which includes research labs and a high-performance computing center. The capital cost is $4.8 million. As approved in a 2019 rate case, Docket 42516, that amount will be recovered through rates over the life of the microgrid, said Tom Krause, a spokesman for the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC).
The microgrid is comprised of Tier 4 diesel fuel — which meets the strictest Environmental Protection Agency emissions for off-highway diesel engines — plus natural gas, a fuel cell and battery storage. It''s also designed to be expanded to include additional sources of power, possibly solar, said Jim Smith, chief operating officer at PowerSecure, which installed the microgrid.
"This real-time learning lab in the heart of Atlanta will look at all the questions you can ask about a microgrid," Smith said. "How does a research university work together with Georgia Power? We''ll be learning so much on the behind-the-meter load side, but also how the microgrid works with the distribution system of the utility."
In materials filed with the Georgia PSC, Georgia Power said the demonstration project aims to develop tools to evaluate the impacts of the microgrid on the utility distribution system and evaluate grid performance when a microgrid is operating. The project will also test technologies that can offer demand management through numerous resources, including smart appliances, electric vehicles and real-time building energy management systems.
The microgrid acts as a university educational tool, too. The utility sees it as a way to leverage Georgia Tech''s knowledge and experience, create a classroom for microgrid study, and provide a public "knowledge center" about distributed energy resources (DERs).
From PowerSecure''s point of view, the project offers an opportunity to dive deep into the advanced analytics and optimization of the sophisticated microgrid. When, for example, does it make sense to use the microgrid''s different resources — as opposed to taking power from Georgia Power? And the demonstration also will study whether 2-hour batteries are more expensive than 1-hour batteries, as well as the advantages of the microgrid providing grid services to Georgia Power, said Smith.
Georgia Power, in its material filed with the Georgia PSC, said the project aims to demonstrate an urban setting microgrid connected to Georgia Power''s high-density distribution underground network, overhead feeder distribution system and to designated building loads in the Coda building. The microgrid, the company said, was designed to incorporate numerous DERs, including a 225-kW Samsung energy storage system, a 200-kW Bloom fuel cell and a 1,025-kW PowerSecure PowerBlock, which includes a 625-kW diesel generator and two 200-kW natural gas generators.
"The multiple points of interconnection will provide a unique opportunity to test the microgrid''s ability to interact with customer electrical loads while also supporting the distribution system," Georgia Power said in the document, adding that this will help educate the utility about using distributed energy resources.
The utility''s goals are to study the microgrid''s impact on its system''s stability, reliability and resiliency. In addition, the project will test "end-to-end integration with the Coda building''s electrical load and evaluate the performance of distributed energy resources (DER) and microgrid technology to support the grid and the company''s customers," said Georgia Power.
Because of the lack of space in downtown Atlanta, Georgia Tech had to build an aboveground platform to house the microgrid next to the Coda building, said Smith. Some of the equipment that''s usually located underground was placed in that building.
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Georgia Power today announced, in collaboration withGeorgia Tech, it will build a new 1.4 MW microgrid in Tech Square at Spring and 5thstreets in Metro Atlanta. Microgrids are self-contained power systems co-located with the facilities they serve that include generation resources, storage systems and energy management systems.
The Tech Square Microgrid, which was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission and will begin operating this fall, will be used to evaluate how a microgrid can effectively integrate into and operate as part of the overall electrical grid. Additionally, it will serve as a living laboratory forGeorgia Techprofessors and students who will use the asset to gather data on controllers, cybersecurity devices and energy economics.
"The Tech Square Microgrid project will give us a better understanding of the resiliency, sustainability and cost of microgrids to help develop emerging energy solutions to better serve our customers now and in the future," saidPaul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO for Georgia Power. "Working withGeorgia Techgives us an opportunity to drive innovation by collaborating with one of the nation''s leading research institutions while students and faculty get a firsthand learning experience on an operating power system."
Southern Company subsidiary PowerSecure, an integrated solutions provider that designs; builds; owns and operates microgrids; will be implementing the latest in microgrid technology for this project.
The microgrid will provide Georgia Power with insight on how smart energy management systems, such as the one being installed at the CODA data center that is currently under construction, can interact with the grid to achieve optimal utilization of energy. In addition, it will also provide teaching and learning opportunities forGeorgia Techprofessors and students.
"Georgia Techand Georgia Power have partnered together on a number of important initiatives over the years, and we are very excited about our latest collaborative effort, the new microgrid in Tech Square," saidGeorgia TechPresident G. P. "Bud" Peterson. "In addition to actually delivering power, it will also serve as a ''research microgrid,'' allowing Georgia Power, Southern Company,Georgia Techand other partners to study the microgrid performance and conduct controlled experiments to develop and test new and innovative energy solutions for the future."
The installation will include fuel cells, battery storage, diesel generators and a natural gas generator, but it is adaptive to new and additional distributed energy resources. It is designed to also accommodate microturbines, solar panels and electric vehicle chargers in the future. All components will be placed on a platform and obscured from view with seven-foot-high fencing and gate access along Williams Street inAtlanta.
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ATLANTA, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Georgia Power today announced, in collaboration with Georgia Tech, the opening of the 1.4 MW microgrid project in Tech Square at Spring and 5th streets in Metro Atlanta. Microgrids are self-contained power systems co-located with the facilities they serve that include generation resources, storage systems and energy management systems.
The Tech Square Microgrid, which was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission in the company''s Integrated Resource Plan, is being used to evaluate how a microgrid can effectively integrate into and operate as part of the overall electrical grid. Additionally, it will serve as a living laboratory for Georgia Tech professors and students who will use the asset to gather data on controllers, cybersecurity devices and energy economics.
The microgrid will provide Georgia Power with insight on how smart energy management systems, such as the one installed at the CODA data center, can interact with the grid to achieve optimal utilization of energy. In addition, it will also provide teaching and learning opportunities for Georgia Tech professors and students.
"Georgia Tech is committed to addressing the most consequential challenges of our time," said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. "That involves advancing science and technology, developing leaders who can create and deploy new solutions, and leading by example with our own practices. This microgrid is a great illustration of the latter. In our partnership with Georgia Power and the Georgia Public Service Commission, we will be developing and adopting some of the most advanced, efficient, and responsible energy solutions available in the hope we can serve as an example for others."
The installation includes fuel cells, battery storage, diesel generators and a natural gas generator, and it is adaptive to new and additional distributed energy resources. It is designed to also accommodate microturbines, solar panels and electric vehicle chargers in the future. All components will be placed on a platform and obscured from view with seven-foot-high fencing and gate access along Williams Street in Atlanta. The fencing will have a mural designed and commissioned by Atlanta based artist Georgia F. Baker III to be finished later this year.
About Georgia TechThe Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.
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