1. Senior Project Leader - Alaska National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Energy Systems Integration Facilities at NREL
Brian Hirsch, Ph.D.
Senior Project Leader - Alaska
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Alaska Energy Storage Workshop
Anchorage, AK
June 20, 2012

2. Why Energy Systems Integration?
Current Energy Systems
Future Energy Systems
Reducing investment risk and optimizing systems in a rapidly changing energy world
New energy technologies and services
Increasing penetration of variable RE in grid
New communications and control models
Electrification of transportation
Integrating energy storage
Increasing system flexibility
Understanding interactions between electricity/thermal/fuels

3. ESIF System Integration Capabilities
Energy System Research and Development Across Technologies
Solar and Wind
Grid Planning and Operations
Energy Storage
Buildings
Advanced Fuels
Advanced Vehicles
CSP Thermal Storage
Utility scale batteries
Distributed storage.
Sensors and controls
Design and integration
Modeling and simulation
System integration
H2/electric interfaces
RE electrolyzers
Storage systems
Standards
Fuel cell integration
Fueling systems
Plug-in-hybrids and vehicle-to-grid
Battery thermal management
Power electronics
RE integration
Power electronics
Building integration
Thermal and PV system optimization
Transmission and Distribution Systems
Smart Grid Technologies
Microgrids
Standards
Full systems interface evaluation for integration of electricity, fuels, thermal, storage, and end-use technologies

4. NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facilities
Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF)
Distributed Energy Resources Test Facility (DERTF)
NWTC – Grid Integration Testing
Thermal Test Facility (TTF)
Vehicle Test and Integration Facility (VTIF)
TTF

5. NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF)
NREL’s largest R&D facility (182,500 ft2)
Substantial completion by the end of 2012
Space for 200 NREL staff and research partners
Focus of the ESIF is to conduct R&D of integrated energy systems (Electricity, Fuels, Transportation, and Buildings & Campus systems)
Addressing the challenges of large-scale integration of clean energy technologies into the energy systems infrastructure

6. Current Status and Construction Targets
January 6 - Completed all steel work
January 20 – 50% completed – on budget (total $135M)
April 2012 – complete all exterior work
October 2012 – substantial completion
November 2012 – commissioning
January 2013 – move-in

7. ESIF’s Unique Advanced Capabilities
Petascale HPC and data management system in showcase energy efficient data center.
HPC
Virtual utility operations center and visualization rooms.
Interconnectivity to external field sites for data feeds and model validation.

8. ESIF - Energy System Simulated Operations
A Flight Simulator for Energy System Operators
Operations techniques development for:
New systems configurations
Utility or fuel supply curtailments
High renewables penetrations
Extreme weather events
High storage penetrations
High demand response deployment
Resource forecast integration

9. ESIF Laboratories Electrical Systems Laboratories
Power Systems Integration
Smart Power
Energy Storage
Electrical Characterization
Energy Systems Integration
Thermal Systems Laboratories
Thermal Storage Process and Components
Thermal Storage Materials
Optical Characterization
Fuel Systems Laboratories
Energy Systems Fabrication
Manufacturing
Materials Characterization
Electrochemical Characterization
Energy Systems Sensor
Fuel Cell Development & Test
Energy Systems High Pressure Test
High Performance Computing, Data Analysis, and Visualization
ESIF Control Room
Energy Integration Visualization
Secure Data Center
High Performance Computing Data Center
Insight Center Visualization
Insight Center Collaboration
ESIF Laboratories

10. ESIF – Power Systems Integration Lab
Major Laboratory Equipment
Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulator (Opal-RT)
Grid simulator (4x270kW, 690Vac, 400Vdc, DC-800Hz)
AC load banks (4x250kW, Wye, 50W load step)
Bidirectional DC supplies (2x250kW, 0-900V)
SCADA Data Collection and Control System
PV Simulator (multi-module, V or +/-500V)
Line length impedance simulator (480V, 1200A)
Research Chiller/Boiler (750 MBH boiler, 60ton chiller)
Lab Functions
Main test lab for conducting electrical system integration activities.
Research will include exploring a variety of operating configurations including: grid connected stand-alone, microgrids, and hybrid power systems.
House infrastructure for DG research (electricity, thermal, and fuels)

11. Energy Systems Integration – Large-scale
A New Unique Testing Capability
NWTC Grid Integration Capabilities will allow testing of many grid integration aspects for multi-MW utility-scale variable renewable generation and storage technologies.

12. TTF - Labs Automated Home Energy Management Laboratory
Fully instrumented electrical system, from smart meter to every plug, light, and hardwired component
3.2 kW photovoltaic (PV) array
Complete suite of residential appliances and end use loads
High frequency spectrum analyzer to study electrical noise
Multiple communication protocols are supported
Linked to ESIF
Energy Storage Laboratory
The world’s most accurate battery calorimeters
Five environmental chambers and isothermal baths to perform accelerated lifetime and duty cycle testing across a wide thermal range
Thermal imaging to inspect for hot spots in cells and battery packages during charge and discharge cycles
Bitrode cyclers for battery and ultracapacitor pack cycling

13. Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility (VTIF)

14. VTIF Capabilities
2 AC and 2 DC bus lines with configurable component connections
2 fast charge system connections (1 indoor/1 outdoor)
8 level II charge stations (includes wireless, high power for MD/HD vehicles, multi-headed, …)
20kW of PV as fuel station canopy (dual axis tracking)
30kWh, 30kW energy storage
Able to configure as microgrid
Commercial partners on Smart Grid controls system
24 expansion ports for new components
Power supplies to emulate wind, solar, vehicle, or storage

15. NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facilities
NWTC – 2MW+
NREL ESI - A unique national asset for energy systems integration R&D, testing, and analysis at various scales
ESIF
1kW-2MW
DERTF
1kW-200kW
TTF
TTF
VTIF

16. For More information on NREL Energy Systems Integration facilities
Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF)
Ben Kroposki, Director of ESIF:
Distributed Energy Resources Test Facility (DERTF)
NWTC – Grid Integration Testing
Thermal Test Facility (TTF)
Vehicle Test and Integration Facility (VTIF)