Distributed generation systems based on clean and renewable energy are being increasingly utilized due to their economic, environmental and social benefits. Unlike the large scale wind or solar farms which are located relatively far from the cities, small distributed generation based on micro-sources such as rooftop photovoltaic, small wind turbines, micro-turbines and fuel cells will become an important component of urban energy strategies. To enable this paradigm shift, an interconnected urban clean energy microgrid is proposed for building a smart and flexible energy distribution system. An urban microgrid is a systematic organization of distributed energy and distributed storage systems in a commercial center, office building or university campus and has more capacity and control flexibility to provide improved reliability and superior power quality.
This project will tackle the difficulties for high performance connection of highly dispersed micro-sources in an urban environment. It will deliver necessary technologies for the development of a smart urban distribution network which can enable the widespread use of clean energy and storage.
