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The microgrid is housed in a 20’ standard shipping container for easy to transport for future experiments in different testing environments.

COTS Microgrid Lab Operational at NPS

By Brandon Naylor, Faculty Associate-Research, Energy Academic Group

The Energy Academic Group at the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø (NPS) has completed construction of a small-scale microgrid using low cost commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts. This microgrid facility will allow students to collect experimental data on the performance of different technologies for renewable generation, energy storage, and power distribution. The microgrid is housed in a 20’ standard shipping container which makes the system easy to transport for future experiments in different testing environments. Although the COTS components used in the microgrid differ from what students might see in a forward deployed operational environment, their open architecture and component-agnostic nature makes them ideal for student experimentation; the COTS components used in the microgrid are designed to interface with a wide variety of hardware, so students will be able to integrate new components such as hydrogen or compressed air energy storage. Work is ongoing to improve the data collection capabilities of the microgrid for adavanced features such as monitoring the voltage of individual battery cells. Demonstrating COTS technologies in this microgrid lab may pave the way for future exploration or adoption of COTS energy technologies at CONUS DoD installations. Until then, the microgrid lab will serve as a valuable educational tool for students studying power electronics at NPS.