ABB to enable integration of renewables in Alaskan island microgrid
Innovative storage solution to enable Kodiak island to integrate more renewable energy and stabilize power supply across its remote and isolated microgrid
Zurich, Switzerland, September 12, 2014 - ABB, the leading power and automation group, will install an innovative flywheel-based grid stabilization solution on Kodiak island in Alaska to boost the integration of renewable energy to its microgrid. This storage technology, which integrates with a battery system, will also support the local economy because the expanded reliable renewable power supply will allow the community to upgrade the crane system for its port.
The project is being undertaken on behalf of the Kodiak Electric Association (KEA), a cooperative owned by residents of the island.
At 9.3 million square kilometers, Kodiak island, off Alaska’s south coast, is the second-largest island in the United States. Sparsely inhabited, it has a population of only 15,000 people, living in just seven communities, the largest of which is in the port town of Kodiak. KEA operates a microgrid that generates virtually all of its 28 megawatts (MW) of electricity from hydropower and wind.
The town of Kodiak, in conjunction with a shipping company, Horizon Lines, recently decided to replace the port‘s existing diesel-powered crane with a larger electrically driven crane to reduce emissions and expand the port’s capacity. However, the larger crane is expected to generate power fluctuations that can be particularly destabilizing for an isolated grid such as that on Kodiak Island. To ensure a stable power supply, ABB will be deploying its innovative flywheel-based grid stabilization solution, PowerStore. The solution is ideal for Kodiak because it provides a dynamic response to transient events such as those expected from the new crane, and it has the ability to carry out infinite charge and discharge cycles without degrading PowerStore’s life expectancy.
“Expanding the crane operations at the port posed a challenge because it meant that we would likely have to rely more heavily on our fossil fuel-driven generators,” said Darron Scott, president and chief executive officer of KEA. “Not only will the ABB solution allow us to shave the peaks off the crane loads, it will also reduce the stresses placed on our battery systems and extend their lifespans.”
ABB’s solution incorporates two 1-MW PowerStore grid-stabilization generators that are based on a fast-acting, spinning flywheel with ABB inverters. They can store short-term energy to absorb and/or inject both real and reactive power into the microgrid. PowerStore can also switch from a full-power charge to a full-power discharge in less than 5 milliseconds. Besides providing voltage and frequency support for the new crane, the PowerStore units will extend the life of the two 1.5 MW battery systems and help to manage the intermittencies from the island’s 9 MW wind farm.
“Remote locations like islands may be rich in renewable energy sources, but the intermittent nature of renewables makes their integration into the power grid a challenge,” said Claudio Facchin, head of ABB’s Power Systems business. “ABB’s innovative microgrid solution includes grid stabilization technology that enables high penetration of renewable power generation, and distributed control systems that provide intelligent power management and efficient hybrid power plant operation.”
PowerStore is one of two core technologies comprising ABB’s Microgrid Plus, which enables penetration of renewable energies up to 100 percent and facilitates their integration into a microgrid with a high level of grid stability. The second core technology is the MGC600 decentralized microgrid control system, which consists of control modules distributed across the microgrid area. These modules communicate with each other on a peer-to-peer basis, providing a high level of flexibility and redundancy.
ABB has designed and delivered solutions for more than 80 microgrids worldwide, for a wide range of applications.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 145,000 people.
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