Centre for research on microgrids - CROM

Grant and period

This centre is supported by:

Summary

Microgrids are considered one of the most promising solutions to integrate renewable distributed generation into the electric power system. In the last decade, microgrid technology has been in a research and development phase. Even though there are a number of microgrid pilot plants around the world, the state-of-the-art solutions are not still mature enough to guarantee high reliability and expandability. In the past, microgrids were appearing as simple and small isolated electrical grids in remote areas and their control has basically been dominated by conventional techniques and management systems, while major part of them validated in a two or three-unit systems, often faraway from real-world power grids. In this sense, the proposed research platform have the ambitious objective to create new advanced power architectures that will unlock a number of technical challenges and barriers that nowadays block the extensive deployment and interconnection of multiple microgrids clusters.

The urgency of the research proposed is arriving now since microgrids are becoming relatively large and complex interconnected systems with interactions between different technologies like power electronics, control systems, and communications, providing reliable energy support to the end-users, while taking into account efficiency and high rates of renewable energy penetration. On the other hand, the proposed research carries on high-risk by conjecturing that it is possible to support an unprecedented number of microgrids interconnected forming clusters, with high reliability levels due to the reduction of communications dependency.

The project will be developed in four laboratories at Aalborg University. The research will be done in collaboration of three Danish companies for support and three international Universities for interchange of ideas and research collaboration.

Participants

To be announced soon