Microgrid investment and construction plan

What is a microgrid planning capability?

Planning capability that supports the ability to model and design new microgrid protection schemes that are more robust to changing conditions such as load types, inverter-based resources, and networked microgrids.

Should microgrid planning and design tools be repurposed?

While microgrid planning and design tools achieve their project goals and requirements, repurposing them to meet new or evolving requirements is often a time consuming and difficult proposition.

Can microgrids be used in transmission-level resource planning?

The combination of these developments identifies benefits that microgrids can provide within many aspects of distribution planning. Ultimately, this development will enable microgrids to be included within transmission-level resource planning such as integrated resource planning processes.

Why do we need a microgrid?

Industry and the academic fields have developed and are developing sophisticated economic models on how utility costs and revenues affect the electricity rates offered to consumers. These models are a source of calculations for consumer savings and energy equity which, in turn, drive the outcomes of microgrid planning and design tools.

What drives microgrid development?

Resilience, efficiency, sustainability, flexibility, security, and reliability are key drivers for microgrid developments. These factors motivate the need for integrated models and tools for microgrid planning, design, and operations at higher and higher levels of complexity.

How can microgrid investment balancing the public interest?

An institutional framework that enables microgrid investment while balancing the public interest requires a well-informed community of stakeholders and targeted R&D activities to inform evolutions in regulatory approaches, as well as various codes and standards that must be modernized to include novel technologies and approaches.