Georgia Power to build microgrid on Georgia Tech campus
Georgia Power plans to build a new microgrid on the campus of Georgia Institute of Technology.
The 1.4-megawatt microgrid will be built at Tech Square located at Spring and 5th streets in Metro Atlanta. Microgrids are power systems that can be used to provide energy for the facilities they serve. The Tech Square Microgrid was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission. It will begin operating this fall.
In addition to providing energy for the campus, it will serve as a living laboratory for Georgia Tech professors and students who will use the system for learning opportunities.
“The Tech Square Microgrid project will give us a better understanding of the resiliency, sustainability and cost of microgrids to help develop emerging energy solutions to better serve our customers now and in the future,” Paul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO for Georgia Power, said “Working with Georgia Tech gives us an opportunity to drive innovation by collaborating with one of the nation’s leading research institutions while students and faculty get a firsthand learning experience on an operating power system.”
The installation will include fuel cells, battery storage, diesel generators and a natural gas generator. Further, it can accommodate microturbines, solar panels and electric vehicle chargers. All components will be obscured from view by a seven-foot-high fence.
“Georgia Tech and Georgia Power have partnered together on a number of important initiatives over the years, and we are very excited about our latest collaborative effort, the new microgrid in Tech Square,” Georgia Tech President G. P. “Bud” Peterson said. “In addition to actually delivering power, it will also serve as a ‘research microgrid,’ allowing Georgia Power, Southern Company, Georgia Tech and other partners to study the microgrid performance and conduct controlled experiments to develop and test new and innovative energy solutions for the future.”
Georgia Power is a subsidiary of Southern Company.
