ARI awarded grants from National Science Foundation and Department of Defense to continue research on smart grid technologies

The Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute (ARI) has received two three-year grants, from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and from the Department of Defense (DOD) US Army Corps of Engineers Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), to continue research on smart grid technologies begun last year.

Manisa Pipattanasomporn, research assistant professor at ARI, serves as the principal investigator (PI) for the National Science Foundation award. The grant will be used to develop a simulation test bed which can be used to quantify and analyze the impact of future demand and supply side alternatives on the security and resilience of the DG-integrated electric power distribution network. This research applies the knowledge of power systems, agent-based technologies, IP-based network and game theory to address the interface of the electric power microgrid with various DG devices and loads.

Findings from the research are expected to be transformative and potentially revolutionize current planning and decision-making practices for electric power distribution networks by introducing a simulation test bed that allows integration of distributed control, advanced communications, distributed generation, and demand management components. "The test bed is intended for use by researchers and policy makers to analyze the security and resiliency implications of installing DG devices under different demand and supply scenarios," said Pipattanasomporn.

"The research outcomes will contribute to the development of a microgrid simulation test bed located at ARI and will serve to broaden student exposure beyond the academic environment through laboratory work," said Saifur Rahman, Joseph R. Loring Professor of Engineering and director, ARI.

Rahman serves as the co-PI on the NSF project and as PI on the second ARI research project funded by the DOD. Pipattanasomporn is the co-PI for the DOD grant to explore the feasibility of-- and provide guidelines for -- the development of microgrids, using methodology, technology assessment, modeling, and simulation.

The research will be divided into two phases. Phase one is to develop a microgrid simulation test bench at Virginia Tech that allows the project team to realistically simulate and validate any proposed microgrid generation and load control algorithms, and quantify the risks and the impact of implementing the proposed control algorithms before the actual field implementation. In phase two, researchers will identify a set of technical, operational, and economic criteria for developing a microgrid on a military base, including the introduction of renewable energy sources. These same criteria will be applied to quantify the environmental benefits of a microgrid that hosts energy efficient equipment along with renewable energy sources.

"At the conclusion of the research, we will provide the DOD with a set of guidelines and a microgrid simulation tool," said Rahman. "This model, and the experience of evaluating the benefits of a microgrid in one facility, will give DOD tools to plan, analyze, and evaluate the operational benefits and risks of deploying such microgrids on many of its bases."

Advanced Research Institute (ARI), located in Arlington, VA, is the leader in smart grid research and development at Virginia Tech, providing a platform for Virginia Tech's engineering and computer science researchers to interact with smart grid stakeholders in academia, government, and industry in and around Washington D.C. ARI serves as the gateway to the smart grid R&D base at the main campus in Blacksburg, Va. Smart grid activities at ARI include multi-disciplinary research in the areas of electric power systems, renewable energy technologies, and information security. ARI is also home to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse, which expects to be launched in mid 2010.

Posted October 29, 2009