ComEd finishes testing of Chicago microgrid
In order to meet the requirements of a $4 million grant from the United States Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, under the Department of Energy, ComEd had to put its new Chicago microgrid to the test — and the results last week proved its capabilities.
The microgrid, located on Chicago’s South Side, suffered no outages while providing clean energy integration. By nature a small power grid with defined boundaries, it was installed to be capable of operation either in conjunction with the main grid or to become its own island, capable of providing power flow.
Testing specifically focused on its ability to utilize Distributed Energy Resources (DER), such as solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage, to support its operations and enhance resilience of the grid at large. Therein, it met its makers’ hopes, disconnecting and reconnecting to the main grid without disruption for customers.
“Demonstrating microgrid technology has presented numerous engineering challenges, and we’ve met them all,” Michelle Blaise, senior vice president of technical services for ComEd, said. “These technologies will support a higher level of service to communities throughout our region and drive the entire industry to a more resilient and sustainable future.”
With the successful showing, ComEd is slated to finish installing DER into the microgrid over the next year, putting the microgrid closer to full operation. When finished, the Bronzeville Community Microgrid will serve more than 1,000 residences, businesses and public service operations within the city. Already, its advancement has been aided by universities, national labs and suppliers, and experts say it is helping showcase the technology’s capabilities more broadly.
“The impact of this project will be felt the world over as the industry better understands what is possible in integrating clean energy technologies,” Amin Khodaei, professor at the University of Denver’s Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, said.
