Page 9 - North American Clean Energy November December 2019 Issue

would use them to calculate the best movements of energy to the right places at the right time. Future iterations of smart inverter control protocols could be configured for operating in fire suppression mode, where DER is allowed to operate even while the grid is de-energized. This could be managed through a control signal sent from utility DERMS systems to the customer’s behind-the-meter DER, to allow operation during very specific grid states (such as a PSPS). While smaller in scale, this approach could work for specific loads, but would limit the effectiveness of microgrids to a specific customer or set of customers. The upside would be a shorter path to implementation at the cost of overall effectiveness to the grid at large. The pros and cons of using PSPSs are still being debated, but as stakeholders continue to innovate new ways to balance wildfire risks with critical load supply, the conversation will undoubtedly lead to microgrids at some scale. It’s a new way to manage an age-old problem, and takes advantage of existing renewable energy resources and new DER control technologies to increase operating resilience and public safety. Tim McDuffie P.E is Senior Business Development Engineer at Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS). SGS software has sub-second, autonomous and deterministic control, back-ups and fail-safes required for ‘on grid’ applications, to interface DER to both markets and networks. Smarter Grid Solutions /// www.smartergridsolutions.com 110.7 kWh Energy Density 1500 Voltage Class 6-3-1 NMC Next Generation Module Higher Voltage for Lower Costs Built Around a Patented Safety Process Industry Leading Energy Density of 110.7 kWh per 19” Rack 6 GWh Currently in Production with Deliveries Beginning Q1 2020 US Manufacturing Facility Begins Construction in 2020 with 10 GWh Per Year Added Capacity Tom DeRosa VP, Business Development (208) 758-9395 [email protected] North American Clean Energy 9