I recently had an interesting conversation with a colleague about our work with microgrid engineering projects. A common theme emerged: Many of the bad experiences involved a lack of cross-discipline knowledge or, maybe, a lack of overlap with other engineers on the project.
Other engineers either didn’t know how the other components or systems in the microgrid worked together, or they just didn’t consider it.
At POWER Engineers, we work hard to facilitate cross-discipline training and experience. It became clear to us that “microgrid engineering” takes this to a new level. Microgrids present a new paradigm for power system engineers.
Being the analytical engineers we are, what did we do next? We went to the white board, of course. We mapped out in broad brush strokes the engineering disciplines of the macrogrid vs. the microgrid. We broke down the macrogrid into:
- Generation
- Transmission
- Substation
- Distribution
- Loads
The microgrid breaks down into:
- Connection to the macrogrid (PCC – point of common coupling)
- generation sources
- Distribution circuits
- Loads
The topologies between the macrogrid and the microgrid are, of course, fundamentally different. In the macrogrid, the transmission system is highly interconnected with a diverse mix of generation. Historically, loads are fairly isolated from generation. They are separated by substations, maybe sub-transmission and a distribution system. Although microgrids topologies are highly diverse, a generator and a load might be in the same room.
In macrogrids, generating plants run relatively autonomously, held together by the collective inertia of millions of pounds of rotating mass and the electrical grid that connects it. Microgrid generation requires tightly coordinated operation controlled by a carefully engineered master control system.
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