Southern Company and Georgia Tech are working together to build a 1.4-megawatt “microgrid” in Technology Square at Spring and 5th streets in downtown Atlanta.
Microgrids are self-contained power systems located near the facilities they serve. They include a generation resource, such as natural-gas fueled generators, as well as transformers and power lines that deliver electric energy to customers. They also include other innovations, such as energy storage and management technologies.
The Tech Square Microgrid was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission and will begin operating this fall.
It will serve as a living laboratory to evaluate how a microgrid can effectively integrate into and operate as part of the overall electric grid. Georgia Tech professors and students will monitor and study the microgrid to gather data on controllers, cybersecurity devices and energy economics.
“The Tech Square Microgrid project will give us a better understanding of the resiliency, sustainability and cost of microgrids to help develop emerging energy solutions to better serve our customers now and in the future,” said Paul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO for Georgia Power. “Working with Georgia Tech gives us an opportunity to drive innovation by collaborating with one of the nation’s leading research institutions. And it provides students and faculty a firsthand learning experience on an operating power system.”
Southern Company subsidiary PowerSecure, an integrated solutions provider that designs, builds, owns and operates microgrids will install and monitor the latest microgrid technology for the project.
“As the leading provider of microgrids in the United States, PowerSecure is excited to be a part of this strategic partnership with Georgia Power and Georgia Tech,” said Mark Lantrip, President and CEO of PowerSecure. “We look forward to integrating the various technologies and distributed energy resources involved in this project to achieve optimal utilization of energy.”
The project will provide Southern Company and its subsidiaries with insight on how smart energy management systems, such as the one being installed at the CODA data center that is currently under construction, can interact with the grid to achieve optimal utilization of energy. It will also provide teaching and learning opportunities for Georgia Tech professors and students.
“Georgia Tech and Southern Company have partnered together on a number of important initiatives over the years, and we are very excited about our latest collaborative effort – the new microgrid in Tech Square,” said Georgia Tech President G. P. “Bud” Peterson. “In addition to actually delivering power, it will also serve as a ‘research microgrid,’ allowing Georgia Power, Southern Company, Georgia Tech and other partners to study the microgrid performance and conduct controlled experiments to develop and test new and innovative energy solutions for the future.”
The installation will include fuel cells, battery storage, diesel generators and a natural gas generator, but it can be adapted to include to new and additional distributed energy resources, such as microturbines, solar panels and electric vehicle chargers.
The microgrid components will be placed on a platform and obscured from view with seven-foot-high fencing and gate access along Williams Street in Atlanta.
