Source: communitymicrogrid.net/ (2022)
An interview with Dr Lasantha Meegahapola by Jacinta Agostinelli and Clare Daly
Future-proof yourself and learn about microgrids and battery storage systems. Dr Meegahapola spent many hours working on a project with 2030Yea investigating various renewable options for Yea.
What is a microgrid? How is it different to a community battery?
Dr Lasantha Meegahapola, Associate Professor with the Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Australia.
A microgrid is a group of coordinated local energy resources, such as solar-photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage systems, designed to serve the energy demand of a community or a building/entity. They operate within a clearly defined boundary with the ability to operate in standalone mode, without the energy supply from the main grid. Therefore, during grid outages, the microgrid can be islanded and will maintain the continuity of the electricity supply to local loads, such as households, local businesses, and community centres. A community microgrid can also operate in tandem with the main grid and can participate in energy arbitraging while providing system support services.
A community battery is a front of the meter battery energy storage system connected to the local distribution network. It is primarily used for energy trading and providing grid-support services. Therefore, unlike microgrids, community batteries cannot maintain the continuity of electricity supply (or operate as an island) when the main grid is not available. However, it can deliver economic benefits to the community by energy arbitraging (buying and selling energy) and providing grid support services.
Which would be the best option for Yea now and in the future?
Considering the geographic distribution of Yea, it is not viable to have a microgrid to cover the entire community, as the investment cannot be justified under current circumstances (e.g. battery cost is high as a large size battery is required for the microgrid). Also, we suggested several small microgrid options for the Yea community, but further studies are required to assess their techno-economic feasibility. A community battery can be another alternative, but it cannot improve the reliability of the electricity supply network, as it requires the main grid to operate. However, an optimally designed battery can bring economic benefits to the community.
Do government policies and regulations support the development of microgrids in regional towns? Is there funding available?
Example of a microgrid. Source: communitymicrogrid.net/ (2022)
Microgrids should adhere to the policies and regulations associated with electricity networks. However, current policies are mostly designed for large power grids, and these policies and regulations are evolving to support microgrids. Therefore, microgrids can become more feasible in the future.
Both the federal government and the Victoria State Government have launched several funding initiatives to support microgrids, particularly targeting the energy resilience and reliability improvement of rural and regional communities under natural disasters, such as bushfires etc. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)’s ‘Regional Australia Microgrid Pilots Program’ is one such funding scheme available for microgrid development in regional/ rural communities.
For more information on microgrids and battery storage visit the recently established communitymicrogrid.net/
