Microgrid Implementation for Large Scale Power Outage Conditions and Smart Data Collection and Modeling Tool
Electrical Engineering
Team 9: Annika Buelt, Wyatt Hanson, Zara Jahan, Grant Soest, Shane Wolf
Summary
This project aims to support utility companies and the communities they serve during emergency power outages in order to ensure that the next time major power sources go down for extended periods of time, the number of people who die as a result is reduced to zero.
This goal was accomplished via a microgrid and dual mobile application system that, when an outage is detected, automatically switches to a backup generator to provide power to a neighborhood at a reduced power allowance until main grid power is restored. The two apps include a power management app that delivers data from the microgrid to the customer and a smart data collection tool that automates the process of adding newly installed equipment to utility asset databases and OpenDSS network models.