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Additional Information
Market Insights: A Selection From The Report
Microgrid Components
Microgrids will vary in size and composition based on the specific loads they must serve and the physical area they comprise. Regardless of size, load, or cost all microgrids will need electricity generating resources, energy storage capability, and systems and other devices that manage and control electric power within the microgrid. Since most microgrids will interconnect with a utility grid, a transformer will be a necessity as well as a static switch that will automatically disconnect the microgrid from utility power when power problems on the grid arise. Depending on the loads within the microgrid a power inverter will be required to change direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). When more than one energy source is used distributed power electronics will be needed to balance and synchronize electricity generation. Other equipment, such as switches, power flow controllers, power cables, and communication gear will also be used based on microgrid needs. Figure 1-4 shows a schematic of the CERTS Microgrid concept with the various components it requires.
Power generating units will comprise the bulk of the costs of a microgrid followed by costs for energy storage systems. These two components will likely account for over two thirds of the costs for developing microgrids but this estimate is highly variable. The size of the microgrid, the composition of its electric loads, the type of generating sources, and other factors will determine the number and types of components that will be needed to build a microgrid.
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Combined heat and power (CHP) systems (also known as cogeneration) generate electricity and heat from a single, integrated system and use the heat that would normally be wasted for heating or cooling purposes. CHP systems can achieve efficiencies between 60 percent and 80 percent which is significantly greater than the typical 33 percent efficiency attained from fossil fuel power plants. Since CHP systems are designed for particular needs and used in a localized setting, they comprise several key components of a microgrid. Other components would need to be deployed, but CHP systems provide a foundation from which a microgrid could be built.
In the News
Fast, reliable and cost-effective, the microgrid market is capturing attention and government funding
New York, January 5, 2010 - Smart grid technology has gained much notoriety as the solution to the world’s future electric power needs, but due to the daunting size and complexity of the current electrical grid, it will take utilities years to transform the grid into any semblance of a smart grid.
A new market study from SBI Energy, Smart Grid Micro Grid Energy T&D and Storage, projects that the timely and cost-effective microgrid will pave the way to full smart grid integration faster than utilities alone. Forecasted to grow 13% during the 2009 to 2014 period, the market for microgrids will near $7 billion by 2014 supported by implementation at large industrial operations, military bases and communities where electricity is unstable or non-existent.
By design, the microgrid comprises all the same components of a larger grid and thus, stimulus funds that have been provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 specifically for smart grid development will simultaneously benefit microgrids. According to SBI Energy, microgrids will become the incubator and operational test bed for innovative smart grid solutions and vendors since it is significantly less difficult and costly to deploy smart technologies.
“New technologies to support the different facets of smart grids—communication systems, sensors, control software, and smart meters to name a few—are being developed not only by small venture firms but also more recently by large, well-established companies,” says Shelley Carr, publisher of SBI Energy. “Regulators, industrial firms, consumers, and other stakeholders will test, evaluate, and begin to identify the technologies that will usher in a new era of electric generation, delivery, consumption, and cost. Coupled with worldwide electric infrastructure costs that are estimated to top $1.5 trillion over the next twenty years there will be much activity in the electricity production and delivery area in the near future.”
Smart Grid Micro Grid Energy T&D and Storage presents an in-depth analysis of the development, applications, products, manufacturers, and trends in the advancement of transmission and distribution (T&D) system automation, energy storage, and microgrids in the United States and around the world.
The report provides a comprehensive assessment of all three of these areas, cost and regulatory concerns that have limited their growth, the potential opportunities for new applications (particularly for integrating intermittent renewable energy sources into the grid), and an assessment of developing technologies that make the grid “smart”. Projected growth through 2014 for these areas is provided, including discussion of energy demand, environmental impacts, economic conditions, consumer acceptance, stakeholder concerns, and government activities as they affect growth rates. The report also profiles manufacturers and marketers of technologies in these areas and the strategies they have adopted to maximize growth and profitability.
About SBI Energy
SBI Energy, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes research reports in the industrial, energy, building/construction, automotive/transportation markets. SBI Energy also offers a full range of custom research services.