Campus Facilities Load Shedding Design

=Introduction=

Background
The project aims to design a microgrid load shed algorithm to balance power on the University of Idaho island when Avista undergoes a blackout event. We will determine which campus buildings get power and the priority of the buildings. The loads will be grouped in a logical way to effectively reduce overloading on University of Idaho microgrid generation. The overall UI microgrid scope includes the entire campus, with a total of 143 floors, excluding Northern farms. Currently, 12% of the campus load is expected to come from the Steam Plant turbines, of which 3% must provide electricity for the Steam Plant. The remaining 9% of annual power production has been allocated for our load shed product. Our project scope includes designing the load shed algorithm for the following campus buildings: McClure, CNR, GJL, BEL. The current microgrid generation considered for this project includes the steam turbines in the Steam Plant and solar panels to be placed on the roof of IRIC. We will aim to design a module load shed scheme that can be scaled when more generation sources are determined for the UI microgrid.

Problem Definition
1.The UI does not have a systematic control system to control microgrid loads.

2. A load shed algorithm is required to efficiently regulate microgrid power.

Project Goals
1. Load shed algorithm to allocate the Steam Plant and IRIC power generation efficiently and safely a. Load prioritization for McClure, CNR, BEL, and GJL b. Algorithm to include user input, time of day/year, and to be easily modifiable c. Determination of switchgear required to implement the system 2. Load shed system to be modularized to allow for microgrid expansion System testing and verification with Real Time Digital Power System Simulator (RTDS) and SEL equipment

3. Economic analysis for the required load shed system equipment investment

=Microgrid Design=

Specifications
Our goal is to utilize SEL equipments to implement an efficient system to allocate power from the UI Steam Plant to local campus buildings during Avista blackouts. SEL equipments have functions such as automatic bus synchronism,trip/close commands to remote enabled breakers and so on. These equipments from SEL will contribute significantly to student development in this Capstone project and in projects to come. Furthermore, this hands-on experience with state of the art equipment from SEL will provide students with an invaluable education that is of interest to SEL.

Communications


The 18 SEL relays in this network represent two tie relays, one relay on the Steam Plant, one relay on IRIC, four relays on the load shed buildings, and the remaining ten relays on the non-load shed buildings. These smart devices must communicate to the RTAC in order for power to be balanced and for the system to respond to utility events appropriately. We decided to use a primary and redundant IEC 61850 GOOSE communication network to pass information to/from the RTAC and relays. The redundant network helps limit the chance of information being dropped in the Ethernet-based communication scheme. Additionally, this network should have a software-defined switch (SDN) to facilitate network communication. The switch on the network will greatly increase the system security because any messages not recognized by the switch will be dropped.



RTAC Algorithm


=Simulation Process=

=Validation=

=Team Information=

=Additional Documentation=
 * Timeline Schedule


 * Meeting Agendas


 * Meeting Minutes


 * Snapshot Poster1


 * Design Review1