Scaling Up Microgrids With Efficient, User-Friendly Software
Microgrids are all the rage, and they have been for a few years. Who doesn’t like the idea of a little self-sustainable, independent grid that ropes in solar power, wind power, battery energy storage, EV charging stations and perhaps a tad of some other less common electricity solutions? It sounds simple: tie them all together and make sure they’re working intelligently to constantly supply energy to the people and businesses who need it.
Of course, when it comes to turning an idea into action, things can get a lot more complicated than they look on the surface. Microgrids are often more complicated and challenging to implement than they look on paper. Also, if someone builds such a system, it is evident they’d like to get their money back on it and then make a profit. Trying to forecast whether that will happen and how to make it happen is even more complicated.
Michael Stadler and Adib Naslé published an article in the academic journal The Electricity Journal a couple of years ago, “Planning and Implementation of Bankable Microgrids,” laying out the “multiple, complex steps and software tools” that were available for implementing and evaluating microgrid projects at the time. A key conclusion: “Existing techniques treat every Microgrid project as a unique system, resulting in expensive, non-standardized approaches and implementations which cannot be reliably compared. That is, it is not possible to correlate the results from different planning methods performed by different project developers and/or engineering companies.” The industry has been lacking uniform approaches and evaluation systems to plan and optimize microgrid systems efficiently and at scale.
Furthermore, the planning and evaluation systems in place were not set up to be easily understandable and usable by different key players in developing, investing in, financing, or approving microgrids. The authors write, “For this sophisticated engineering task, tools and models are needed that can include GridLAB-D (GridLab-D, 2017) […] or OpenDSS, designed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI, 1997–2018). Some of these analyses introduce considerable complexities and need an engineering background, limiting the usability for certain stakeholders such as bankers, investors, or real estate companies. Furthermore, most of the time, the technical design process (cable and transformer sizing) is completely decoupled from the conceptual design (selecting and placing technologies), and no integration exists, obstructing any data flow. This is especially problematic when the technical design reveals issues with the underlying conceptual design, leading to unplanned engineering time and costs.”
What is their solution? A unified software system with integrated design stages and a user-friendly experience that allows anyone from bankers to engineers to plan, visualize, and optimize a project. And that’s what these guys are now offering through XENDEE — “one single platform, allowing multiple views, complexity levels, and details depending on the user class, i.e., engineer versus financier versus construction consultants.” In fact, XENDEE’s software platform recently won the prestigious 2021 Edison Gold Award in Human Critical Infrastructure. Here’s a video overview, but I’ll cover some of the core company highlights below if you’re not keen on watching the full rundown:
XENDEE describes their platform as a “streamlined interface” that “removes traditional technical barriers and enables new users from business, sales, financial and engineering backgrounds to accurately screen Microgrid investment opportunities in minutes.” This speed and efficiency in validating projects can also be a big deal for companies and government organizations looking to scale microgrid projects faster and further.
Image credit: Xendee
An important element — perhaps the key element — here is that funding institutions and engineers/developers can use the XENDEE platform together to optimize both technical and financial goals. “Additionally, our physically-based economic decision support system couples financial optimization with detailed electrical power system analysis to verify resilience and financial viability before the first cable is laid.”
Image credit: Xendee
You don’t have the technicians looking at one thing, the finance people looking at something else, and a person or team in the middle trying to understand both and translate as needed. Using an old cliche, you don’t end up trying to stuff a square block into a circular hole — and ending up with hair on the floor from frustration and failure.
“XENDEE’s immersive user experience and generative design optimization technology considers millions of possibilities and autonomously creates the optimal Microgrid system, investment thesis, and control strategy that best meets your customer’s envisioned benefits and goals in minutes.”
Naturally, this is marketing talk and pretty pictures of an attractive software platform. The proof is in the pudding. Does this work as eloquently explained? Well, you can’t confirm that without trying it out, and we’d recommend scheduling a product demonstration with a member of the XENDEE team using this link. If your mouth is starting to water and you’re in this industry, note that XENDEE highlights and summarizes four key stages where its software can be used to optimize time efficiency and cost efficiency: 1) Client Feasibility Study, 2) Custom Tailored Bankability Study, 3) Balance of System Engineering Analysis, 4) Implementation Management.
1. Client Feasibility Study
XENDEE’s immersive user experience and generative design optimization technology considers millions of possibilities. It autonomously creates the optimal Microgrid system, investment thesis, and control strategy that best meets your customer’s envisioned benefits and goals — in minutes.
Image credit: Xendee
2. Custom Tailored Bankability Study
Enrich feasibility studies with highly detailed modeling features that capture almost any imaginable scenario. Then let XENDEE’s unique bankability analysis capabilities generate custom-built solutions optimized to your customer’s exact objectives and needs with unmatched accuracy and speed.
Image credit: Xendee
3. Balance of System Engineering Analysis
Accurately determine Balance of System (BOS) costs with XENDEE’s integrated power system one-line diagram, time-series power flow, and transient stability analyses. Easily optimize the size of cables, transformers and other components required to ensure safe and reliable operation.
Image credit: Xendee
Finally, XENDEE’s custom-tailored project management information system delivers a centralized and straightforward cloud-based solution to instantly identify problems and determine project status. Deviations from the plan are highlighted and indicate effects on the overall project delivery timeline.
Image credit: Xendee
One of the greatest things we can do worldwide to facilitate the use of clean energy and reduce carbon emissions is to more quickly and efficiently roll out distributed energy microgrid solutions. I hope to see XENDEE’s platform get into the hands of many more developers, engineers, government officials, and financiers in order to help achieve that. I have not seen a comparably compelling platform in my years of covering this sector — with the caveat being that I also haven’t personally developed or financed a microgrid project, so can only provide this top-level view of this solution and the microgrid world as a whole.
***
This article was supported by Xendee.
Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.
Get ready, children. There’s a new electric bike licensing scheme that will soon be tested as one of several methods designed to help educate young riders on responsible road use and combat the growing concern of dangerous e-bike riding among youths around the world.
Known as the Student Bicycle License Scheme (SBLS), the proposal in New South Wales, Australia, will operate as a trial of a new licensing program for electric bike riders. The program targets school-aged e-bike riders in response to a growing number of accidents and misuse cases involving young riders.
The pilot program will require students to complete an online training course and pass a knowledge test before being issued a digital license to ride an e-bike or e-scooter. The scheme is expected to launch later this year in select schools, and if successful, could pave the way for a broader rollout.
Schools in Sutherland and Newcastle have reportedly expressed interest in joining the program, which leaves it up to individual schools to decide how they wish to use the new license program. For example, they can make it mandatory for students who want to ride to school or use secured bicycle parking facilities at the school.
The trial will initially focus on education rather than enforcement. Students who complete the course will receive a digital “ride-ready” credential, but there are currently no plans to introduce fines or penalties for unlicensed riders during the pilot phase. The government is partnering with road safety experts and schools to develop the training materials, which will cover speed limits, helmet use, sidewalk etiquette, and proper intersection behavior.
Australia’s National Transport Research Organisation is also reviewing current electric micromobility laws, with a report expected by the end of the year. The Queensland trial is seen as a possible blueprint for other regions facing similar safety concerns.
The announcement comes as electric bikes become increasingly popular among Australian youth, not just as toys, but as practical transportation to and from school, work, and social events. With that growth has come scrutiny – several high-profile crashes, some involving modified or overpowered e-bikes, have pushed lawmakers to act.
The same phenomenon is playing out around the world, including in Europe and the US, where young riders have increasingly taken to electric bikes as an alternative form of transportation, though one that has raised concerns around road safety among a young populace who has yet to learn the rules of the road.
Electrek’s Take
This is one of several school-level educational outreach programs we’ve seen pop up lately, and I think these are great ideas.
While the idea of requiring a license to ride an e-bike might sound extreme in some places, Australia’s approach here is education-first, and it could actually be a smart move. It also seems like the license is designed to be effective without being a burden. If you can grasp the knowledge, you can pass the test. And since many of the issues surrounding young e-bike riders arise from a general ignorance of road rules, this could be an effective solution. Teaching young riders the rules of the road before they hit the pavement might help reduce injuries and improve public perception of micromobility. Plus, the fact that it is a digital license means that there would presumably be fewer costs involved, which will hopefully allow the program to be free of charge and further reduce the burden of the licensing process.
Of course this won’t do anything for the “hooligan” riders who know the rules and simply don’t care, but that’s where enforcement has to step in as the heavy-handed partner to education.
I think this is a great example of balanced e-bike regulation. A measured mix of education and enforcement is key to ensuring e-bikes remain safe while taking advantage of their myriad benefits to the public. And hey, it sure makes a lot more sense than NYC trying to cut the speed of all electric bikes in half overnight.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
The State of California is moving to ban the sale of Tesla cars amid claims that the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, have misled buyers about the self-driving capabilities of their cars. We’ve also got market-leading news out of Vietnam and a pricey, pricey lesson for one VW ID.Buzz buyer on today’s lesson-learning episode of Quick Charge!
We also ask what this might mean for the recent Uber/Lucid autonomous taxi tie-up and go through a full rundown of the fastest depreciating EVs on the market (and yes, there are four Tesla models in the top 10 … because the Cybertruck was too new to qualify).
Source Links
Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (most weeks, anyway). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.
Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Sunrun is putting tens of thousands of home batteries to work in Puerto Rico as the island’s electric grid faces a summer of high temperatures and energy shortfalls.
The company says it’s now dispatching energy from over 37,000 residential batteries to help grid operator LUMA keep the lights on. That stored power is being used to prevent rolling blackouts when demand spikes and centralized power plants can’t keep up.
Sunrun’s emergency power contribution has grown more than tenfold since last summer. LUMA expects more than 75 energy shortfall events between now and October, with each dispatch sending electricity to the grid for four consecutive hours. During several recent evenings, Sunrun and other virtual power plant (VPP) operators provided enough energy to offset a 50-megawatt generation gap, LUMA said.
Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said Puerto Rico’s aging infrastructure and intense weather patterns make home battery support increasingly critical:
It’s going to be a very difficult summer, which is why Sunrun has ramped up our dispatch capabilities, using tens of thousands of home batteries to support the grid and people of Puerto Rico.
She added that distributed power plants like Sunrun’s serve the same role as natural gas peaker plants – offering fast, reliable power during high-demand moments – but with clean energy.
Sunrun customers enrolled in the VPP will get paid too. Each participating battery earns about $200 minimum for the season, and customers who allow more of their stored energy to go to the grid earn even more. Sunrun also earns revenue for operating the VPP.
Read more: The US’s largest virtual power plant now runs on 75,000 home batteries
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike