RII Track-4:NSF: Isolated Amorphous Microgrid Design with Accelerated Power System Analysis and Network Layout (IMPALA)

Off-grid remote power systems, referred to here as microgrids, are key to providing electricity to rural Alaskans and are also a promising solution that addresses the fact that 10% of the world still lacks access to electricity as of 2019. The UNDP Sustainable Development Goal 7 (``Affordable and Clean Energy'') aims to increase affordable and clean energy access for all by 2030.

It is estimated that 30% of newly electrified connections will be served by microgrids by 2030 (up to 70% in rural areas). Numerous microgrid planning and development tools exist. However, there are significant inconsistencies between network design methods and assumptions used in these tools.

Such inconsistencies and uncertainty in best practices are detrimental to the rapid deployment of sustainable and stable microgrids necessary to meet the UN Sustainability Development Goal #7. The need for international and national remote isolated microgrid development has driven a flurry of new microgrid tool creation, which has grown in absence of comparative analysis of network layout and power system design assumptions, and standard engineering and economic performance metrics.

This EPSCoR RII Track-4 Fellow Proposal entitled "RII Track-4:NSF: Isolated Amorphous Microgrid Design with Accelerated Power System Analysis and Network Layout (IMPALA) will assess remote isolated microgrid development tool methods and associated performance metrics to inform standards and tools that will aid the development of more stable, affordable, and sustainable microgrids.

The objective of this project is to inform standards and tools that will aid the development of more stable, affordable, and sustainable microgrids. The project will develop a collaboration between Dr. Cicilio at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power and the Laboratory for Energy And Power Solutions at Arizona State University (ASU).

Through collaboration with ASU’s Laboratory for Energy And Power Solutions (LEAPS) team, Dr. Cicilio will be provided access to the Rapid Mapping Methodology and associated tools developed by the LEAPS team. The Rapid Mapping Methodology will be the baseline microgrid development tool which will be adapted to test variations in network design methods.

The Rapid Mapping tool was built with aims to reduce feasibility assessment and engineering planning costs, increase speed, increase data analysis accuracy, improve technical detail in respect to power engineering, and incorporate comprehensive technical and financial analysis into one tool. Dr. Cicilio will bring together several key players in this proposal to drive impactful and applicable resulting metrics and methods to address these needs.

This project will leverage the prior established connection with OnePower Africa with the new collaboration with ASU, as the host institution, to increase the geographical diversity and diversity of experience to inform the project’s evaluations. Existing and potential microgrid sites across the globe associated with project partners in Alaska, Lesotho, Niger, and Sierra Leone will be assessed to determine regional characteristics that may impact the performance of these methods.

This will lead to more sustainable, affordable, and stable microgrids with implications not just to the African case studies but for rural Alaska as well.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.