What is a microgrid planning capability?

Planning capability that supports the ability to model and design new microgrid protection schemes that are more robust to changing conditions such as load types, inverter-based resources, and networked microgrids.

Should microgrid planning and design tools be repurposed?

While microgrid planning and design tools achieve their project goals and requirements, repurposing them to meet new or evolving requirements is often a time consuming and difficult proposition.

How can microgrid investment balancing the public interest?

An institutional framework that enables microgrid investment while balancing the public interest requires a well-informed community of stakeholders and targeted R&D activities to inform evolutions in regulatory approaches, as well as various codes and standards that must be modernized to include novel technologies and approaches.

What is a microgrid?

The DOE defines a microgrid as a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the power grid.

What role do microgrids play in delivering resiliency and economic benefits?

For example, the role of microgrids that encompass DERs for delivering reliability and resiliency benefits to the grid and bringing economic benefits to the DERs is in early stages of development with the REPAIR tool co-funded by the Microgrids R&D program. Market rules and participation options are constantly evolving.

What will microgrids do in 2035?

By 2035, microgrids are envisioned to be essential building blocks of the future electricity delivery system to support resilience, decarbonization, and affordability. Microgrids will be increasingly important for integration and aggregation of high penetration distributed energy resources.