Microgrid Control/Coordination Co-Design (MicroC3)

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Program:
OPEN 2021
Award:
$4,828,980
Location:
Raleigh, North Carolina
Status:
ACTIVE
Project Term:
09/30/2022 - 09/29/2025
Website:

Technology Description:

North Carolina State University (NC State) will radically change how future microgrids are designed by developing a suite of microgrid control/coordination co-design tools capable of performing systematic design of an optimized microgrid, given a set of design objectives and performance constraints. The team will develop a well-documented co-design engineering process supported by a tool suite that yields optimal equipment selection, guarantees system stability, evaluates system dynamics, and delivers an integrated coordination/control and communication software/hardware architecture with a concrete implementation validated in high-fidelity simulations. The team will also deliver an open-source microgrid control integration platform: a hardware device with sensing, actuation capabilities and networked, embedded software that can realize the outputs of the design flow in a concrete, physical form. Such automated implementation of control and communication architecture into the operational environment is expected to significantly reduce the cost of microgrid deployment.

Potential Impact:

NC State’s process of addressing the control, communication and coordination aspects of the design early in the design phase enabled by a tool suite-supported design flow makes microgrid engineering more affordable and allows more optimal, functional, and resilient designs. The team’s design and operational approach will enable microgrids to:

Security:

Provide power to critical loads during and after extreme weather events, when the rest of the grid may be damaged.

Environment:

Integrate and effectively manage renewable generation on the distribution system.

Economy:

Predict and achieve or exceed the desired microgrid performance and reliability metrics with significantly smaller and/or simpler and less expensive components.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Mario Garcia-Sanz
Project Contact:
Prof. Srdjan Lukic
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
smlukic@ncsu.edu

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Release Date:
02/11/2021