Clemson’s advanced simulator mimics real-world conditions to test tech for market
Just one-year old last month, Clemson University’s eGRID is helping generate knowledge that could shape the future of energy. The 15-megawatt eGRID is the world’s most advanced electrical grid simulator, mimicking real-world conditions in a controlled environment that tests technologies that could be brought to market.
One important accomplishment of the past year is that the $10.1 million simulator has proved that it can actually do it what it was designed to do. Researchers had to stop work several times to review the sizes of various pieces of equipment, but everything runs as expected, said Nikolaos Rigas, senior scientist and director of the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center.
Utilities including a large international company have performed tests on the simulator, but Rigas said he could not yet disclose details about who they are. However, Duke Energy has stated publicly that it would use the eGRID to address growing concerns about securing the nation’s electrical grid from attacks.
Research at the facility initially focused on testing wind-turbine drivetrains, but the first year also saw a significant expansion into solar energy testing. Localized microgrids that use DC, or direct current, electricity are a more efficient and popular proposed alternative to the large, centralized power grids that run on AC, or alternating current, that are presently the norm. Expanded DC capacity, along with a custom-built system that mimics photovoltaic energy inputs from solar panels, allowed the eGRID to make an important step in testing the feasibility of solar-powered grids.
Located at Clemson’s SCE&G Energy Innovation Center at the Restoration Institute in North Charleston, the eGRID draws researchers from around the world. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory held the second International Workshop on Grid Simulator Testing of Wind Turbine Drivetrains at the site in September, expanding its range to include solar energy and energy storage systems. Rigas said in 2015 the center will roll out a more in-depth summer program for Clemson students to participate in eGRID-based research.
The eGRID represents an effort to get ahead of the game as the industry works toward meeting the federal government’s goal of generating 20 percent of the nation’s power by wind in the next 15 years. Its testing capacity is poised to make major impacts on future energy systems around the world. Project partners include Duke Energy, Santee Cooper, Westinghouse Motor Company and the US Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), among others.
