Integrated Electrical and Thermal Grid Facility - Testing of Future Microgrid Technologies

Sundar Raj Thangavelu, Inam Ullah Nutkani, Chia Meng Hwee, Aung Myat and Ashwin Khambadkone
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Sundar Raj Thangavelu: Experimental Power Grid Centre, Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, 3 Pesek Road, Singapore 627590, Singapore
Inam Ullah Nutkani: Experimental Power Grid Centre, Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, 3 Pesek Road, Singapore 627590, Singapore
Chia Meng Hwee: Experimental Power Grid Centre, Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, 3 Pesek Road, Singapore 627590, Singapore
Aung Myat: Experimental Power Grid Centre, Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, 3 Pesek Road, Singapore 627590, Singapore
Ashwin Khambadkone: Experimental Power Grid Centre, Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, 3 Pesek Road, Singapore 627590, Singapore

Energies, 2015, vol. 8, issue 9, 1-24

Abstract: This paper describes the Experimental Power Grid Centre (EPGC) microgrid test facility, which was developed to enable research, development and testing for a wide range of distributed generation and microgrid technologies. The EPGC microgrid facility comprises a integrated electrical and thermal grid with a flexible and configurable architecture, and includes various distributed energy resources and emulators, such as generators, renewable, energy storage technologies and programmable load banks. The integrated thermal grid provides an opportunity to harness waste heat produced by the generators for combined heat, power and cooling applications, and support research in optimization of combined electrical-thermal systems. Several case studies are presented to demonstrate the testing of different control and operation strategies for storage systems in grid-connected and islanded microgrids. One of the case studies also demonstrates an integrated thermal grid to convert waste heat to useful energy, which thus far resulted in a higher combined energy efficiency. Experiment results confirm that the facility enables testing and evaluation of grid technologies and practical problems that may not be apparent in a computer simulated environment.

Keywords: microgrid test facility; distributed generation; integrated electrical and thermal grids; flexible and configurable architecture; energy efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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