PI: Javad Khazaei
Co-PI(s): Farrah Moazeni, Carlos Romero
University: Lehigh University
Industry partner: ProtoGen
Energy supply has been negatively impacted by natural disasters and contingencies over the past few decades. While microgrids are reliable sources of energy when the grid fails, the deployment of microgrids in communities is largely governed by regulations. Generally, decisions and investment plans at the community level are made using an empirical approach, in which investments are prioritized based on historical failures and expert judgement, rather than a systematic methodology. This project will:
- develop a real-time grid model for a community in Pennsylvania to analyze grid contingencies,
- develop new insights into how investment plans can be prioritized to avoid grid failures,
- and help stakeholders identify microgrid and energy storage investment plans that lead to resilience of communities.
Quakertown community in Pennsylvania was selected for this project since it is located on a tract of land at risk of significant flash flooding and grid failures. The selected community is of great importance in terms of enhancing the resilience of nearby communities since it is a central hub connecting Philadelphia metropolitan area with Lehigh Valley. Specifically, to address the resilience against grid failures, the Borough of Quakertown in Pennsylvania, ProtoGen, Inc., a leading microgrid developer, and Lehigh researchers will analyze the contingencies and the critical assets in the community using a detailed real-time simulation of an actual feeder in the community using available data and smart meter readings. In addition, the size and location of optimal energy storage and microgrid projects that could potentially resolve outages in the electricity system will be identified for investment planning purposes using rigorous optimal sizing/location formulations. The PITA award to Lehigh University will bring expertise in engineering together with community and stakeholder involvement to address the critical issue of community resilience after grid disruptions.