ORNL and EPB demonstrate advanced dynamic microgrid platform

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and EPB of Chattanooga announced a DOE-supported demonstration of an advanced microgrid control platform, with testing at ORNL’s GRID-C and planned demonstration in EPB’s microgrids next year.

• Main action: ORNL-developed advanced microgrid control platform with dynamic boundaries and nested microgrids is being tested at GRID-C and will be demonstrated in EPB’s microgrids next year; the project celebrated installation of microgrid equipment at an event marking a milestone on Monday.
• Key details & background: Partnership expanded EPB’s system by adding almost 58 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy storage across a fleet of five microgrids at two sites, which can provide backup power to more than a thousand residential customers and critical facilities; ORNL and EPB have partnered for more than a decade and the work ties into ORNL’s Next-Generation Data Centers Institute and DOE’s Genesis Mission.