(160b) Assessing the Energy and Economic Sustainability of a Demonstrated Microgrid Situated at Missouri University of Science and Technology

The conventional national electric grid is rapidly evolving to improve its resilience and security. This evolution has spawned the development and use of Microgrid technology. A Microgrid can be defined as a hybrid energy grid characterized by a set of loads, storage systems and several small scale units capable of electricity generation from independent sources.  The hybrid energy Microgrid situated at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a small scale Microgrid project, employing alternative and renewable energy generation, advanced energy storage, and intelligent switching capabilities into a residential housing complex. The technologies implemented within the Microgrid at Missouri S&T  include solar generation, a natural gas fuel cell, lithium ion battery storage, and automated intelligent switch gear.

Very few prior studies have been done to determine the energy and economic  sustainability of a demonstrated Microgrid. Initially, energy generation and consumption data of the Microgrid was collected.  Based on the data collected, a detailed energy flow model of the Microgrid at Missouri S&T was performed using Powersim^TM simulation software. Furthermore, an economic analysis has also been conducted to ascertain the  economic sustainability of the Microgrid. These results are then compared to the conventional electric grid to establish baseline sustainability.