Microgrids spread globally
Flexibility that can be relied on
In the booming U.S. market, demand is driven more by reliability issues. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 left many New Yorkers without power for two weeks, a reminder that a big grid is not necessarily a safe one – and concerns relate to malicious attacks as well as natural disasters. Microgrids enjoy the option to disconnect temporarily from the main grid if outages threaten, or indeed can remain permanently as separate “islands.” At the same time, if its own generation were to fail, a connected microgrid has the option of drawing on the main grid as backup.
Major industrial endeavors, such as mines and chemical plants in Latin America for example, are attracted by cost reduction, as electricity can account for a tenth of the value of mined commodities. But they are also drawn by microgrids’ “power quality,” voltage, and frequency levels that will not vary because of wider system disturbance.
Siemens Digital Grid
Siemens says that its Digital Grid delivers a range of software and services to help microgrids achieve these benefits, each modular and scalable according to customer needs. The SICAM Microgrid automated control system can check the status of local assets and the wider grid, using a rule-based algorithm to connect or disconnect. The more complex Spectrum SP7 MGMS management system can also take account of future load and weather forecasts to optimize in real time the energy dispatch and can interact with wholesale power markets to maximize economic return or minimize CO2 emission over a longer term.
Naturally, linkage with the power system hardware and integration of equipment from other Siemens’ divisions is smooth. In another project, residential customers in a district in Bristol, U.K., were supplied with SoLa energy storage linked to rooftop PV panels. This increased the microgrid’s resilience, cut costs, and delivered greater efficiency. In the next phase, Siemens will also work with largescale buildings to optimize energy efficiency.
Constantin Ginet, Siemens’ head of Microgrids global unit, explains that “we can demonstrate to our customers what their payback will be, and therefore what is the added value of having a microgrid.” He stresses the importance of understanding the as-is situation of a potential customer before laying out future scenarios. If they decide to develop a microgrid, customers can also choose between making their own capital investment or taking advantage of Siemens’ experience in financing models. Constantin Ginet sums up: “Our offering, made up of consulting, core microgrid products such as control systems and storage, access to partners, and financing models is a complete solution to the market.” As this rapidly expanding market segment testifies, Siemens is on trend with microgrids.
