​Kotzebue Clean Energy Coalition Newsletter

The latest from just above the Arctic Circle.

Here is your weekly shot of energy, a list of what I’m exploring. Please forward this to friends.

The Microgrid of the Future

Kotzebue, like most villages in Alaska, is on an island electrically speaking. We exist on what is called in the industry an “islanded microgrid”. What that means in a practical sense is that we are on our own. We produce and consume all of our electricity, untethered from outside interference or support.

I was part of a project recently where I dove into understanding the current grid and spoke to experts about the grid of the future. I thought I would share some takeaways, while trying not to get too deep into the weeds.

The current grid is Centralized

Diesel generators make power and push it out to the microgrid. That is how our grid was designed. It is simple and effective. Storage is in the form of huge tanks of diesel. The generators provide balanced power and can ramp up when more power is needed. Wind and solar were later plugged into the system but the old reliable generators are still the workhorse that keep the power flowing.

The grid of the future is decentralized

As more distributed energy, like solar on rooftops, is added to the complexity of grid interactions increase. I like the visuals representations of distributed energy structures the publication titled Microgrids as a Building Block for Future Grids, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Microgrids can help provide resilient electrical power.

In grid connected areas, like most of the lower 48, the need for microgrids is becoming more obvious with natural disasters exposing the fragility of the current grid structure. For deep dive into the future of the grid I recommend a series of whitepapers from the Office of Electricity called the Microgrid Program Strategy. I admit I have only cherry picked information from a few of the papers, but they are dense and informative.

Controls, sensors, algorithms and AI will play a large role in the grid of the future

Moving from a simple grid structure to a smart grid with many energy producers intermingling with storage and consumers is going to require data, communication and a greater level of flexibility than currently exists. Regulating frequency, providing stable current and sharing energy between various assets like batteries, electric vehicles and others is a complex puzzle. Fortunately the technology to do these things autonomously already exists in computers running algorithms, and it is not a big stretch to imagine a future where AI lends a hand as well. Actually, it seems inevitable, it is just a matter of how long it takes to fit the new technology to the old. Of course many upgrades to the old grid will be required and these new abilities also bring with them new risks. Check out this story on cybersecurity

Energy Storage is key to integrating intermittent resources like solar and wind

Intermittent energy is a challenge and energy storage is the answer. Energy storage at the scale needed to make a difference on the grid is expensive. Hydrogen is a storage option, but it is a relatively unproven technology. Batteries are great but also expensive. The Ford F150 Lightening Pro has the battery capacity of 7 Tesla Powerwalls, so maybe we just need a bunch of trucks to use as mobile batteries. Couldn't hurt.

A flexible and deployable base load is critical

Right now diesel generators provide the base load and renewables are mixed in. Nuclear is a direct replacement for diesel, it provides both the consistent power and the excess heat. That is what makes it so tempting to microgrid planners. Drop it in and no worries for 20 years or so. Instead of the millions of gallons of diesel being burnt and expelled into the atmosphere, you have a relatively small amount of waste. Nuclear is not without its own problems. Hydro is also a great baseload, but you need the geography and water to make it work. Kotzebue unfortunately does not have the geography.

Grid forming inverters solve the grid-forming problem but not intermittency.

The problem is that spinning assets, like generators, are the best at regulating frequency which is important with modern electronics. Grid-forming inverters, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/one-device-transform-power-electical-grid-inverter, are a recent innovation that could help eliminate the need for spinning assets. But you still have the problem of dark and windless days.

Conclusion

Microgrids are undergoing a transition. They are being reimagined, but it’s not going to happen all at once. Diesel dependence will continue in the short term, but perhaps a better microgrid is on the horizon.

Quote

"The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests."

​
― Epictetus​
​

email: chad.nordlum@qira.org.
​
Take care,
​
Chad

​P.S. Sign up by clicking the link below to get this newsletter every week.

​SUBSCRIBE HERE!​