Researchers at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) have developed an optimization tool for microgrids that allows homes to stay off grid as long as possible, generally using solar, storage and smart meters.
The researchers recently received a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office, based on a grant from the US Department of Energy.
The tool aims to optimize the use of solar, storage, electric vehicles and other loads and resources to ensure a building remains off grid as long as possible, as inexpensively as possible, said Brian Kelley, associate professor in UTSA’s electrical and computer engineering department.
Called Power Quality of Service Optimization for Microgrids, the tool decides when to use solar or other renewable energy systems, when to store it, and when to rely on power from the grid.
“There are statistics and predictions you can use for when clouds will be overhead or when cloudy days will occur. These variables can be fed into the optimization,” he explained. “If you see a cloudy day tomorrow, you could increase the amount of storage today.”
Increasing use of pure renewables
The variables that determine how long a homeowner or business can be off grid depend on the size of the renewable energy system, likely solar.
“By increasing the rated capacity of the renewable source and energy storage, you can get increasingly high utilization of pure renewables,” he said. “This invention allows you to do that as inexpensively as possible.”
The system also can control various loads, including household appliances, electric vehicle charging and lights, scheduling the best time to serve those loads.
That’s one of the features that makes the system unique, said Kelley. When certain loads are not needed, the system can stop delivering power to them if the power is needed elsewhere.
“There are schedulers and smart meters and mission control systems that make this unique,” he said.
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