Demonstration Microgrid Provides Interns with Insight into Power Systems Integration

Three weeks into their internship, ACEP’s interns are fully immersed in their research projects and gaining valuable skills in becoming researchers themselves. As much as we want to encourage them to dive deep into their projects, we also want them to have other experiences during their internship, including learning about other facets of UAF culture and research and exposure to Fairbanks and the surrounding landscape. 

Last week, a group of interns had the opportunity to tour ACEP’s Energy Technology Facility and the Power Systems Integration Lab. A 5,000-square-foot testing facility designed to offer a unique testing environment to technology developers, utility managers and researchers, the facility operates on the same scale as a village power system. The lab supports the power industry by making its facilities and expertise available for testing new ideas specific to micro-grid power system needs. 

ETF manager Dave Light, accompanied by UAF assistant professor of energy Daisy Huang, led the tour of the facility. They showed interns equipment and instrumentation that allows researchers to simulate real-world power scenarios using actual derived data to inform test simulations.  

[Insert intern quote] (we will do that!)Just flagging this so it doesn’t get missed!

In the coming weeks, interns will go to the ACEP-operated Tanana River Test Site located in Nenana, Alaska, as well as a tour of the Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility. 

​​The ACEP Undergraduate Student Internship program is generously funded by a grant from the Office of Naval Research.

For more information on the AUSI program and the various projects, please contact Jeff Fisher at jfisher3@alaska.edu and visit http://ausi.alaska.edu/.

 

Interns gather around David Light talks to ACEP interns about the capabilities of ACEP’s Energy Technology Facility. Photo by Jeff Fisher.