With enhanced interest and investment in new sources of power generation, including wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and biofuel sources of energy, there is increased interest in deploying multiple sources and multiple sized-power generators and connecting them to each other and the community electricity distribution grid. The resulting ‘micro-grid’ will only work if it interfaces effectively with the overall distribution system.

Principal Investigator Dr. Bin Wu will investigate “Control and Interfaces for Urban Clean Energy Micro-grid”, with funding from Hydro One Networks Inc. ($110,000).  Distributed generation (DG) systems based on clean and renewable energy are being increasingly utilized due to economic, environmental and social benefits.  Unlike the large scale wind or photovoltaic (PV) farms located relatively far from cities, small DG systems based on micro-sources such as rooftop PV, small wind turbines, micro-turbines and fuel cells, are becoming an important component for urban energy strategies to address increasing demand and environment concerns.

Both this project and Dr. Wu’s investigation into plug-in vehicles are dedicated to research on control and interfaces for the urban clean energy micro grid.  Particular effort will be put on interface topologies, PWM schemes and micro grid control strategies.  The projects will tackle the difficulties for high performance connection of highly dispersed micro sources in an urban environment, and deliver necessary technologies for the development of a smart urban distribution network to enable widespread use of clean/renewable energy and energy storage.

Source: cue