GridLeaving the electrical grid in the Upper Peninsula

While Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is not the sunniest place in the world, solar energy is viable in the region. With new technologies, some people might be inclined to leave the electrical grid. A team from Michigan Technological University looked into the economic viability of grid defection in the Upper Peninsula.

Known for snow rather than sun, the region could still support a significant network of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems. Solar energy alone in the Upper Peninsula is seasonally restricted. However, solar coupled with cogeneration and batteries could overcome any cloudy, cold winter day.

MTU reports that Michigan Tech engineers and sociologists explored what this new triple-threat technology, and the role of demographics, could mean for energy alternatives in the Upper Peninsula in a new study published in Energy Policy.Their analysis found that by 2020, leaving the electrical grid is a viable economic option for the majority of seasonal households (92 percent) as well as single-family owner-occupied households (65 percent).

Combined and cogenerated
Cogeneration systems are small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) systems, which usually run on natural gas and produce heat as they generate electricity. They can function year-round and are most effective in the winter when solar production is low. Along with improved battery storage, these hybrid systems would not require being tied into the electrical grid. The costs of hybrid systems are coming down and are projected to keep decreasing.

“The costs of centralized energy distribution, on the other hand, are going to be higher than they are today,” says Joshua Pearce, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering as well as materials science and engineering at Michigan Tech. He co-authored the study looking at the economics behind coupled PV, CHP and battery hybrid systems.

“With these new technologies,” Pearce says, “you can put the CHP in your basement, the battery bank in your garage, and solar on your roof—this could actually work for regular people.”

Lucia Gauchia, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering as well as mechanical engineering, helped the team determine what battery technologies are needed to make solar-hybrid systems successful.

“PV systems are intermittent, and production depends on whether it’s sunny or cloudy, night or day,” Gauchia says, a stand-alone electric system needs a flexible element to balance the load. “And the battery is the only element in the system that can produce or absorb energy.”