Microgrid Load Management and Operation

How does an isolated village compensate for the unpredictability of 80 miles of overhead lines between it and its nearest substation? This paper describes a distributed generation facility supplying a remote Native American village in the American Southwest. The project includes 490kW of solar co-generation and 300kW of backup diesel generation to be used while connected to the grid or as an isolated microgrid. The primary system functions include fault detection, isolation and restoration (FDIR), generation control, and load management. The project was developed by Mountain High Engineering with automation and equipment support from G&W Electric Co. Lessons learned from the evolving demands and onsite challenges of the project will be discussed, focusing on the microgrid control and operation.