The Guam Power Authority was awarded nearly $916,885 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Underserved and Indigenous Community Microgrids Grant, GPA reported on July 9.
In partnership with the Pacific National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and PXiSE Energy Solutions, GPA will deploy innovative technology that will advance the integration of distributed energy resources while improving resilience of the electrical grid, the public power utility said.
Under this grant, the project team will develop, test, and demonstrate a modular microgrid control system technology to standardize control and communication of modular microgrids.
Modular microgrids utilize small-scale power generation sources that can operate in parallel or independently from the main power grid, allowing them to provide backup power services in the event of loss of power to the main grid.
Historically, microgrids have been expensive to implement, especially when they can vary in size and renewable energy penetration, GPA noted.
By designing a universal data communication software for these microgrids, GPA will have the ability to deploy multiple systems while driving down implementation costs.
“GPA is looking at innovative ways to increase renewable energy generation to meet our goal of 50% clean energy by 2030 and ultimately 100% by 2040. By working with national laboratories and leading industry experts, we are able to implement new technology without compromising the grid. Our efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we thank U.S. DOE for their support,” said General Manager John M. Benavente, P.E.
The objective of the Underserved and Indigenous Community Microgrids grant is to conduct coordinated research, development, and implementation of replicable microgrid solutions for underserved and Indigenous communities in remote and islanded regions throughout the United States.
