ACEP Hosts TDX

Renewable Energy Integration into Diesel Microgrids – Theory and Practice Seminar

Tuesday, February 4, 2014
12pm to 1pm

Location: Duckering Building,
Room 531 (UAF)

Speakers:
Marc Mueller-Stoffels
Power Systems Integration Program
ACEP

Kord Christianson and Jan Tierson
TDX Power

Integrating variable renewable energy (RE) resources into islanded diesel microgrids is challenging particularly if RE power levels make up a large fraction of the power mix. To successfully integrate large amounts of RE (high penetration RE microgrids) changes in diesel powerhouse infrastructure and control systems are necessary. The presentation will discuss how much RE theoretically can be added to an islanded diesel microgrid under given infrastructure conditions without detriment to grid stability and power quality. It will be shown that addition of system-wide controls, managed loads, and energy storage can have significant impacts on the amount of RE that can be integrated.

TDX Power successfully operates two high-penetration winddiesel systems at Sand Point and St. Paul, Alaska. On these examples TDX Power will discuss integration strategies, system performance, and challenges.