San Francisco and Toronto: Opus One Solutions, Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) and a consortium of partners announced a US$12.4 million North American multi-utility microgrid project September 20. Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) will provide $4 million USD in funding to support the project (see “Sustainable Development Technology Canada funds storage, microgrid projects,” elsewhere this issue), designed to improve integration of distributed energy resources and commercial microgrids into power systems and regional wholesale markets.
The project combines AMS's advanced analytics and economic optimization platform and Opus One's GridOS®, a real-time distribution energy networking platform, to build a smart and integrated transactive energy network. Opus One will lead the consortium, which includes AMS, Emera Maine, Smarter Grid Solutions and The Centre for Urban Energy at Ryerson University.
The multi-utility project includes development of a commercial microgrid consisting of solar, battery storage and back-up diesel generation integrated with distribution-level feeder operations and the regional transmission operator; a distributed energy resources (DERs) management demonstration project; and a feeder-based microgrid featuring wind resources, grid-scale energy storage and up to 10 residential battery systems. AMS's platform will perform an economic optimization of the DERs, while Opus One's GridOS® will ensure that the DERs are optimally dispatched within the physical constraints of the grid. Behind-the-meter microgrids will provide the grid and market operators virtual resources capable of providing integrated demand response and advanced ancillary services. In-front-of-the-meter microgrids will provide the grid operator with the ability to perform feeder load relief, volt/VAR optimization and conservation voltage reduction.
This is the first time AMS has participated in a Canadian project.
See also "SDTC funds storage and microgrid projects," elsewhere in this issue.