Microgrid Technology: Recent Improvements Spur Government and Industry to Seek Renewable Energy Solutions
Call it a quiet revolution.
Americans have been talking about lessening the nation’s dependence on oil (especially foreign-produced) since the Carter administration, but for many years, there was little advancement towards this goal. Now, recent developments in renewable energy and microgrid technology, and a presidential directive, have prompted many businesses and government agencies to undertake efforts to augment traditional power grid supplies with systems that will both save money and lessen environmental impacts.
The evidence occurs with increasing regularity. In the hospitality industry, one of the most intensive power users in the country, hundreds of hotel sites have opted to develop microgrids that incorporate solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and other technologies to reduce the need for grid power. Glenn Hasak of the Green Lodging News, has listed dozens of them on his site. They range from The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne to the Lova Lava Land Eco-Resort in Hawaii.
Following President Obama’s directive to federal agencies to make $2 billion worth of energy efficiency upgrades over the next two years, Fort Bliss, the country’s biggest military facility, a 1.2-million acre base in West Texas and New Mexico, has awarded a $16 million contract for the construction and operation of a microgrid.
Several other military installations are looking at similar development projects. In addition to cost savings and environmental concerns, microgrid power affords some security from internet-based attacks against power utilities, an increasing concern among cyber security experts. According to the contractor, Johnson Controls, the project is expected to save Fort Bliss $39 million in energy costs over the next 24 years.
Even traditional power utilities are beginning to embrace the concept of microgrids. According to Phil Carson, of intelligentutility.com, “an increase in distributed generation in general—not just renewable energy resources—has driven interest.” Changes to IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standards in 2011 also helped sway them. The companies are looking to microgrids to increase their potential power production without adding to their infrastructure.
Microgrids are becoming an increasingly popular power solution for companies, agencies and even communities. For more information regarding how a microgrid system could benefit your organization, contact Nextek Power Systems at (877) 24VOLTS or visit us at www.nextekpower.com.
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CEQ Deputy Director, Gary Guzy, Visits Nextek
Deputy Director Gary Guzy and Nextek CEO discuss developments in DC power.
As part of a visit to The NextEnergy Center, Council on Environmental Quality Deputy Director, Gary Guzy, stopped by Nextek’s Detroit offices to see what innovations in DC microgrids Nextek Power Systems was developing. He was treated to a facility tour and discussion with Nextek CEO, Paul Savage.
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) coordinates Federal environmental efforts and works closely with agencies and other White House offices in the development of environmental policies and initiatives. The CEQ was established within the Executive Office of the President by Congress as part of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and additional responsibilities were provided by the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970.
Deputy Director Guzy’s role at the CEQ is to ensure that there is a strong scientific and legal basis for our environmental policy; making sure that the nation moves toward a greater reliance on clean energy and to increase energy security; combating global warming while growing the green economy; providing protection for public health and the environment; and protecting and restoring our great ecosystems.
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Vice Mayor of Zhenjiang Visits Nextek
This past December Nextek had the honor of hosting the Vice Mayor of Zhenjiang, China along with his staff. Just an hour west of Shanghai, Zhenjiang is hoping to be a hub of science, manufacturing and technology for the 21st century. Capitalizing on its infrastructure and logistics advantages, emerging industries, state-of-the-art facilities, industrial foundation, workforce education and research innovations, the National Zhenjiang Economic and Technological Development Zone is planning on luring corporations and new industries to the city.
Their visit to Nextek, the first stop on a tour throughout the United States, was based on their interest in renewable energy and DC microgrids. The NZETDZ is planning a DC microgrid project for the city in 2011.
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Paul Savage Talks DC Microgrids at Tedx Detroit 2010
On September 29, 2010 the area’s leading creators, catalysts, entrepreneurs, artists, technologists, designers, scientists, thinkers and doers gathered at The Detroit Institute of Arts to share what they are most passionate about — positive ideas for the world from Detroit. Nextek CEO, Paul Savage, was one of those to speak.
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GE Ecomagination Challenge Announces Winner!
While we here at Nextek are disappointed that we did not take the top prize in the GE Ecomagination Challenge, we are hopeful that we may win one of the Innovation Awards being announced in early November. Congratulations to Solar Roadways and their winning idea!
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Nextek Waits for GE Ecomagination Challenge Results
Nextek excitedly awaits the October 7th, 2010 announcement by GE of the winner of their GE Ecomagination Challenge. Nextek is one of nearly 3,200 participants eagerly awaiting to hear who won the most votes in the polls that closed on September 30, 2010. Innovation award winners will be announced at the beginning of November. Follow the excitment on the GE Ecomagination blog.
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Nextek Receives UL Approval for PSM 1600-C2
The Nextek Power Systems facility has received UL approval to manufacture the Power Server Module Model 1600-C2. Customers can now place their orders for the PSM at 1-877-24VOLTS or checkout the PSM 1600-C2 in the Power-Shop.
Nextek Power Server Module Model 1600-C2 DC Power Supply
Nextek’s Power Server Module converts 208 or 240 VAC power to 24 VDC through 16 individual Class 2 outputs. The Power Server Module has a wireless remote control and monitoring system. The system advantage is that the Power Server Module provides a safe, low-voltage DC distribution system that allows quick plug-and-play, energy efficient and individually controllable Direct Current (DC) lighting and other loads. The patented triangular design of the Power Server Module makes for a clean fit into a suspended ceiling grid for ease of installation and removal of ceiling tiles. Download the Power Server Module 1600-C2 spec sheet.
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380 VDC Gateways Added to Nextek’s Detroit Offices
Nextek Power recently added two 380 VDC Gateways to their Detroit Offices.
Two 480 VAC to 380 VDC gateways that are able to produce 8oKw of power each have been installed outside of the Nextek Power Systems’ Detroit offices. The units, which can accept both renewable and AC energy sources, are the key to our R & D for bi-directional vehicle charging and discharging. Our short term goal is to provide a DC microgrid that charges a DC electric vehicle. The DC electric vehicle will also provide power back to the microgrid to power additional DC loads. It is a very exciting opportunity for Nextek, which will also be using the gateways to power their office lighting, motors and IT loads. There is so much potential for these gateways and we look forward to sharing more exciting news as the story unfolds.
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Nextek Mentioned In Climate Savers Computing Paper
There is a compelling article by Lee Harrison on behalf of Climate Savers Computing Initiative about the state of affairs in data centers and the need for much greater efficiency for both environmental and economical reasons. Read the entire article by clicking here.
Started by Google and Intel in 2007, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative is a nonprofit group of eco-conscious consumers, businesses and conservation organizations. Their goal is to promote development, deployment and adoption of smart technologies that can both improve the efficiency of a computer’s power delivery and reduce the energy consumed when the computer is in an inactive state.
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Solar Energy Provides Green Fuel
The Town of Hempstead, N.Y., combines solar energy with innovative electrical distribution and variable frequency drives to control energy costs in a green way.
Many people have been joining the green movement to some degree, that is, searching for alternative energy sources as a way to reduce pollution and other problems that can result from burning fossil fuels. But the recent surge in energy prices has produced an additional incentive, driving many to also look for green technologies as a way to reduce costs.
Kate Murray, town supervisor in Hempstead, N.Y., was looking to find alternative energy solutions that would create savings for taxpayers. So, this town of 750,000 on New York’s Long Island hired Nextek Power Systems, Hauppauge, N.Y., to bring its advanced grid-connected smart power platform to an installation of a 40-kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the southern face of its town hall. The solar system was to be the power source for part of the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
Town officials chose the town hall site for its central role in community affairs and its ability to showcase solar power not just for the return air fans for the building, but also for the DC, or direct current, lighting in the supervisor’s office and a conference room. Ron Masters, commissioner of conservation and waterways for the town, was familiar and confident with Nextek Power Systems, a supplier of DC power networks and experienced in facilitating alternative energy projects. Paul Savage, president of Nextek, says the project reveals the convergence of two trends in today’s facility power. First is the advent of distributed power generation, such as the solar installation at Hempstead.
A footnote to this trend is that all of these distributed power generators, whether solar or wind, are intrinsically DC, Savage adds. Then, there are an increasing number of loads in facilities that are all DC powered. In a typical distributed power installation, DC electricity is generated. It is introduced into an inverter to change it to the AC, or alternating current, power that is commonly used in facilities. Then the power must be turned back into DC at the load.
Nextek developed ‘DirectCoupled’ technology that establishes a DC bus in the building. This eliminates electrical losses inherent in the inverter. According to Savage, a typical solar installation is only about 89 percent efficient because of those losses. But his DirectCoupled technology improves that figure to 99 percent, Savage claims. This bus connects to all of the DC electronic loads, eliminating losses at that point as well, because conversion from AC to DC is no longer required.
There is yet another source of loss in an HVAC system, the variable frequency drives (VFDs) that run devices such as return air fans and compressors. A typical VFD contains a rectifier that takes the incoming AC power and changes it to DC. The electronics in the drive then transform the DC into a pulsed simulation of AC to power and control the motors.
This technology has been proven to greatly reduce energy consumption by these motors. But, those rectifiers also induce losses in the system. Nextek worked with local Allen-Bradley distributor Mid-Island Electrical Supply, of Commack, N.Y., to integrate PowerFlex AC drives into the DC bus system. Savage estimates an energy efficiency gain of about 10 percent.
Seamless conversion
At night or during periods of low solar output, the Nextek Power Gateway seamlessly reverts back to grid power until the renewable source is available again. Because the system is DirectCoupled, it is not subject to ‘anti-islanding’ regulations that require conventional grid-tied solar systems to shut down in the event of a grid failure. The Power Gateway also enables load shaping and peak mitigating with its advanced metering, monitoring and controls capabilities. During daytime peak usage, the HVAC system will be powered primarily by the solar PV array, reducing the burden on the local utility.
The anti-islanding regulations come into play, says Savage, when the distributed generator puts electricity back on the grid. Some people look at these alternative generating sources as a backup to when power from the grid goes down. So, if you have a unidirectional power setup such as this one, then you don’t have to shut down when the grid goes down, maintaining a little independence.
The solar energy system was funded through $260,000 from the settlement of a clean air lawsuit against a power company in 2003. Under the settlement, the power company was required to pay $2.1 million for air pollution mitigation projects in New York state. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) administers the $2.1 million fund to install solar energy equipment on government-owned buildings in the state. Many people aren’t aware of commercial HVAC operations and the energy-saving opportunities with these motor-driven applications, says Masters. Demonstrating the value of these types of installations is important to furthering public understanding, and we see many other flat-roofed buildings that could be using and benefiting from this technology.
Variable frequency drives, which act as controllers to protect motors and improve motor performance, have long benefited HVAC fan and pump applications, but Hempstead’s solar-power supply is unique. Allen-Bradley product line supplier Rockwell Automation Inc., Milwaukee, has a 100-year legacy in controlling motors in virtually every conceivable application, including HVAC, but pulling DC power off solar panels was a first. Masters is convinced that the three-phase Allen-Bradley PowerFlex AC drive with the DC source gave the town the ability to win the NYSERDA award. In addition, the accessibility of the DC bus made it simple to DirectCouple the drive to Nextek’s equipment.
Unexpected efficiencies
The success we’ve had with Allen-Bradley PowerFlex drives is an efficiency we didn’t anticipate when we started the project, says Masters. With the variable frequency drives, we can set and throttle back to idle the system to match our energy needs, and the exposed front end of the drive adds additional economy to the system.
Townspeople and officials are pleased with the new system, and it is setting an example across Long Island. To date, it has been a tremendous success, says Masters. It has performed beautifully. With the success of the town hall installation, Masters anticipates future successes in upcoming ‘green’ applications.
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