Page 22 - College Planning & Management, June 2017

OFF THE GRID
FOR THE GOOD OF ALL
The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
(UWM) has joined a federally funded partnership of universities and compa- nies working to make the U.S. electrical grid more reliable, greener and less expensive.
UWM recently announced its membership in a National Science Foundation-backed research center called “Grid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems,” or GRAPES, head- quartered at the University of Arkansas (http://vtb.engr.sc.edu/GRAPES). The center partners with industry to develop new technologies for storing, controlling and distributing energy that are compat- ible with the existing electrical grid, can ward off cybersecurity threats and could lower energy bills.
UWM’s contribution to the center
is its expertise in microgrids, which integrate energy from multiple, smaller sources, including renewables. While interest in microgrids started with the military, which has an interest in power- ing bases in isolated areas, it has grown as the costs of solar power and energy storage come down, says Adel Nasiri, associate dean for research and UWM professor of electrical engineering.
UWM faculty members are working with industry to commercialize microgrid technology and gain entry into a market that is projected to generate $1.6 billion in revenue in the next few years.
“By working with business and exchanging ideas, we each have a clearer line of sight between the research labs and consumer,” says Brett Peters, dean of UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science. “With that, we can solve today’s tough challenges efficiently.”
LIGHT ME UP. Santa Clara University is on course to install a smart microgrid, which ties its power source, transmission, distribution and even consumption data to weather reports, thereby maximizing energy savings. In the first phase of
the project, SCU installed sub-meters into 14 buildings and integrated the smart microgrid’s onsite alternative energy sources, such as solar, fuel cells and micro-turbines. The next phase will connect the entire campus to the microgrid. Once the launch of the smart microgrid is complete, it’s estimated to reduce energy consumption by 50 percent and save the university about 20 percent in energy costs.
Three schools discuss how and why they started their microgrid projects.
Blackout? Brownout? Get Out!
As they essentially operate as small, independent cities, college campuses often generate and distribute a portion their own energy and rely on a utility to supply the rest. This works well... until
it doesn’t. Disruptions to the central grid caused by storms, natural disasters, ac- cidents or high demand will cut power, leaving large areas in the dark, sometimes for days at a time.
“We have 21,000 students and 6,000
of them live on campus. We can’t just lose power,” according to Shawn Connolly,
vice president for University Facilities, Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ. Along with students, campuses also host sensitive sites like science buildings with critical research and hospitals that can’t go dark. Microgrids allow campuses to keep operations going during an outage.
This kind of resiliency was the
primary driver for Santa Clara Univer- sity in Santa Clara, CA, to invest in their microgrid. They just completed phase one of the project. “It ensures business continuity,” explains Chris Watt, director of Utilities.
Spike the Rate Hike
Eastern Mennonite University in Har- risonburg, VA, has emphasized sustain- ability on campus for the last 30 years. They are presently in the design and specification stage of their microgrid and plan to install three 500kW natural gas- fired generators to augment their existing 104 kW solar array. When completed later this year, the microgrid alone could power the school’s approximately 650,000 square feet of buildings.
But energy independence isn’t the school’s main driver. Instead, they’re interested in lower distribution demand charges.
“This project allows us to change our rate schedule with the local utility,”
22 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / JUNE 2017
WEBCPM.COM
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY