Episode 98 | Micro Management | Hitachi ABB Power Grids

I've always thought of microgrids being necessary in places where a conventional grid was not available—remote islands or the deepest jungles of the Amazon.

My guest, Maxine Ghavi, is head of Grid Edge Solutions at Hitachi ABB Power Grids. She says yes, microgrids thirty years ago uniquely served that purpose. Over the last ten years, their group has focused more on grid-connected microgrids. She describes this as multiple generation and multiple loads under the same control system, either grid-connected or off-grid. If it is grid-connected, it should be able to cut itself off from the grid and run seamlessly.

"Whether it's the utilities or the commercial/industrial sector, there are applications where energy storage and microgrids make a lot of economical sense," she says.

These examples may include:

• Mining operations
• Communities that do not want to curtail large number of renewables
• Communities reliant on diesel generation
• Communities prone to natural disasters
• Modern communities with electric vehicles and rooftop solar

Many of these examples have a complex number of demand and supply considerations. Maxine says microgrids are able to address these challenges by leveraging energy storage and advanced control systems.

"It's not just what I would call a 'microgrid' that helps the integration of renewables," says Maxine, referring to the storage and control features. "It's the key components of microgrids that now are able to address the broader topic of integration of renewables."

I was curious how this compares to the convention grid. Are electric bills higher? Maxine believes microgrids leverage a phenomenon called "value stacking," whereby the investment will yield greater reliability, sustainability, resiliency, and ultimately profitability through rooftop solar, for instance.

Maxine adds that utilities are getting into the space as well. "By [utilities] participating and retaining those customers and offering them the same capabilities, they're able to also leverage those assets and also participate in that market," she says.

ABB is a Swedish-Swiss company with roots going back to the 1880s. In 2018, ABB Power Grids announced a joint venture with Hitachi. Maxine believes Hitachi's digital capabilities will help complement Power Grids' control technologies. She also believes Hitachi's role as a global player will help microgrids proliferate to all corners of the world.

"Our aim is for the next thirty years to bring electricity to remaining almost one billion people who still don’t have access to power or reliable power," she says.

I believe microgrids will expand to the point where they become almost indistinguishable from, well, the grid.

Useful Links:

• Hitachi ABB Power Grids - Official Site