Energy Storage Performance Characterization for Microgrid Applications

Renewable energy-powered microgrids have proven a valuable technology for self-contained (off-grid) energy systems. These microgrids have proven effective in reducing fuel consumption and are cost effective in locations without grid access. The United States military establishes forward operating bases (FOBs) globally as an effective method of temporary troop deployment in active battlefields. These FOBs are typically powered by gasoline or diesel generators, which are not cost effective due to rising fuel and fuel transportation costs, and put soldiers in harm's way due to fuel transportation in battlefields proving to be an effective target of enemies' improvised explosive devices. Renewable energy-powered microgrids are proving to be a potentially valuable tool to meet future energy demands at these FOBs in a portable and effective manner. These microgrids also allow the user to employ a variety of energy generation and storage devices such as photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbines to optimally meet site-specific needs.

Energy storage technology is a critical aspect of future development of portable, scalable microgrid technology. One of the most important parameters in microgrid operation is the ability to predict the power and energy characteristics of any energy storage system. To achieve optimal use of renewable energy resources and energy storage, the energy storage system must be modeled accurately and must include all parasitic and operational losses from environmental controls. Furthermore, the energy storage operation must be modeled in conjunction with the particular renewable resource with which it will be used. This seminar will discuss recent efforts to characterize parasitic and operational losses associated with different energy storage systems for use in microgrids.

Mariesa L. Crow is the Fred Finley Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and VP for Research at Missouri S&T. She received her BSE in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign. Her area of professional interest is computational methods and power electronics applications to renewable energy systems and energy storage. From 2007-2012, she served as the Director of the Missouri S&T Energy Research & Development Center. She has been PI or Co-PI on $22 million (US) in externally funded research sponsored by the National Science Foundation, DOE, DOD, DOT, DOEd, the State of Missouri and several utilities. She has authored over 200 technical articles and several textbooks and book chapters. She is the VP for Publications for the IEEE Power & Energy Society. She is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Missouri and a Fellow of the IEEE.