BLAZETECH CORPORATION — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 06a

Description

The adoption of electrical energy storage technologies in the power systems can play a vital role in improving the grid stability and resiliency by regulating disturbances caused by the output power of distributed energy resources. In addition, they can shave daily peak loads by charging the surplus energy during off-peak loading period and discharging during emergency or peak loading conditions. Battery systems are also great candidates for backup power applications such as UPS due to their nearly- instantons response. Interfacing energy storage systems with the grid require a software platform to maximize their efficiency and optimize the load demand profile. As a result, developing a robust energy management software is crucial for a widespread deployment of energy storage. BlazeTech proposes an innovative software/hardware solution named “Microgrid Energy Management Interconnection (MEMI)” that optimizes the use of various battery technologies and provides Demand Response to Independent System Operators (ISOs) or municipal utilities. Since Solar Buildings fall under the microgrid category, our solution will initially serve that purpose. Also, the system can be implemented for other DERs such as hybrid wind/solar microgrids because the MEMI aims for a successful integration between the ISOs and diverse energy storage systems in a large- scale power system. The main goal of the three-phase program is to bring the innovative approach of MEMI to the market as a solution for today’s instability and integration issues of DERs. Our proposed network architecture provides a solid integration of DERs to the municipal utilities/ISO to provide ancillary services. Our solution is tailored to maximize benefits to DERs owners as well as the utilities/grid operators due to the flexibility and scalability of the design.