The Grid Integration group accelerates the development, commercialization, and deployment of technologies that will enable our power distribution infrastructure to operate with greater reliability, efficiency, security, responsiveness, at lower cost, and with higher levels of renewable energy generation.
Currently, one of the biggest challenges facing utilities is how to integrate large quantities of PV production with the electric grid without compromising power reliability and quality. The Fraunhofer USA-led project, called “SunDial,” will create a management system that optimally manages facility loads and energy storage charging and discharging to mitigate potential problems due to intermittency and large ramps in PV power generation.
SunDial will tightly integrate PV, energy storage, and aggregated facility load management to actively manage net system power flows to and from the feeder – regardless of whether these individual components are co-located at the same site, or distributed at different sites. Working together, these systems will address the two greatest issues currently inhibiting high-penetration of PV on the grid - the intermittency of PV generation and the mismatch between electric loads and electric generation.
The project team, led by Fraunhofer USA, will create an open-source framework that builds upon existing interoperability data models to facilitate integration among PV plant developers, load aggregators, independent system operators and utilities across a range of use cases and business models.
During this three-year project, Fraunhofer USA and partners will design, develop, and deploy a fully functional and integrated photovoltaic (PV), energy storage, and a facility load management system at the utility distribution scale. The demonstration will take place in Massachusetts and last at least one year.
Fraunhofer CSE in collaboration with VoltServer Inc.
This project stems from a DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding secured by VoltServer Inc and aims to address multiple goals of the DOE’s Solid State Lighting Multi-Year Program Plan related to costs, efficiency and controls integration.
The DOE estimates that there is tremendous potential for energy savings through adoption of Solid State Lighting (SSL). Energy efficient SSLs can deliver savings of up to 20% in 2020 and 46% in 2030. However, barriers to successful commercialization exist, inhibiting SSL use. At present, SSLs account for 2-3% of lighting sales, primarily for niche applications such as outdoor and street lighting.
Voltserver’s DE technology allows transmission of thousands of watts of power over standard communication cables. The safety features of the DE system allow it to be operated as an IEC 60950-21 compatible limited power source (“class 2”) without conduit and minimal licensed electrician involvement under NEC Articles 800 and 725. Unlike Power-Over-Ethernet (POE), range is not limited to 50 feet. DE can be transmitted over long distances without significant losses.
The Grid Integration group accelerates the development, commercialization, and deployment of technologies that will enable our power distribution infrastructure to operate with greater reliability, efficiency, security, responsiveness, at lower cost, and with higher levels of renewable energy generation. Our team is currently engaged in a multi-year effort funded by the Department of Energy to develop both the technology and broader commercialization framework to realize a “Plug and Play PV" system that can be purchased, installed, and commissioned by homeowners without the need to engage outside consultants or contractors.
The Grid Integration group supports the development and deployment of integrated energy systems and enabling technologies, from feasibility analysis to design optimization to system test, deployment, and data collection. We work together with the PV Technologies and the Building Energy Systems groups to fully realize the potential of tightly integrated distributed energy systems. This work leverages our expertise in renewable system integration, power conversion, intelligent control of generation and loads, and the power of information and communications technologies.
The Grid Integration group supports the above-mentioned efforts by leveraging its capabilities and experience in the following domains:
Senior Engineer
Fraunhofer CMI
15 Saint Mary's Street
MA 02446 Brookline, USA
Phone +1 617-353-1895
