Community and Small-Scale Grid Innovation - Smart Grid (R) Evolution: Electric Power Struggles - page 169

This program is intended to make access to the energy system accessible to communities
that desire greater control, yet have neither the inclination nor the resources to join the
locavolt movement. Of course, some observers claim that C-BED is nothing more than
a smokescreen for the large-scale wind energy development discussed in the previous
chapter. Thinking about the difference between a two-turbine wind energy system built
for a distribution center in Tracy, California (Seminole Financial Services 2014 ) and some
of the larger C-BED projects should give some indication of how difficult it is to pin
down the boundaries of this category. For this chapter, our interest in community-based
energyislimitedtorelativelysmallinitiatives,rangingfromthosethatcouldpowerasingle
community building to those that could power a small city, such as Boulder, Colorado (our
first case in this chapter). Our interest is further focused on community-based initiatives
that are closely interconnected with smart grid.
There are also many emerging non-formalized community initiatives that are more
grassroots in nature. In Massachusetts several towns have independently decided to build
wind turbines and/or community-based solar installations. Also, in some places groups of
residents without south-facing roofs have pooled their resources to install solar panels on a
local community location instead of on their individual roofs.
Microgrid . Because there are so many definitions of “microgrid,” we will start by
providing the definition we use. First, while every microgrid is small, not every microgrid
is “smart,” and we are focused on the smart ones. We follow Mariam et al. in defining
microgrids as “single electrical power subsystems associated with a small number of
distributed energy resources” (Mariam 2013b ) . This DG can be from both renewable and/
or conventional sources, and includes PV, small-scale wind turbines, micro-hydro, internal
combustion engines, natural gas turbines, and microturbines, which are managed in a
coordinated way to create a “cluster of loads” (Mariam 2013b ) . In smart microgrids, DG
is linked with power electronic interfaces that provide users and system operators with the
“flexibility to operate as a single aggregated system maintaining the power quality and
energy output” (Mariam 2013a ). Smart microgrids can operate as a single load, which can
appeal to utilities and other system operators. At the same time, they appeal to customers
by enabling them to meet electrical requirements “locally, supply uninterruptable power,
improve power quality, reduce feeder loss, and provide voltage support” (Mariam 2013a ).
Put simply, the microgrids in which we are interested are grids that are equipped to
integrate a wide variety of DG and renewable energy sources and can also “island” and
operate independently of the larger grid. The diesel-powered backup generator in a grocery
store parking lot does not qualify. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Smart Power
Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS) system does
(Perera 2012 ).