Idaho National Laboratory researchers to demonstrate self-healing microgrid technology

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) announced that it plans to demonstrate over the coming months in Cordova, Alaska a system of microgrids that can maintain and restore power after an outage event.

INL researchers, along with a coalition of partners, designed the system to enhance grid resilience and speed up recovery after a catastrophic event or a cyberattack.

The system will include switches that can isolate one part of a microgrid, enabling undamaged parts of the grid to continue to function during an emergency. It will also employ micro-phasor measurement units (PMUs), equipment that monitors changes in the grid in real time.

“The controllers work in coordination with the existing system to reduce fossil fuel consumption, improve power quality and enhance resiliency,” Mayank Panwar, INL’s principal researcher on the project, said.

The researchers chose Cordova as the demonstration site because the village in the Prince William Sound and its electrical grid are isolated from the rest of the world. The village relies on hydroelectric, diesel and solar power generation.

In September, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Modernization Initiative announced funding of up to $6.2 million to the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium (GMLC) for the project, which is called Resilient Alaskan Distribution System Improvements using Automation, Network Analysis, Control, and Energy Storage (RADIANCE).

INL researchers will lead the GMLC team, which also includes scientists and engineers from Sandia National Laboratories and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory/. Partners on the project include the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the City of Cordova, the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC), and the Cordova Electrical Cooperative.