PFI:AIR - TT: Microgrid Energy Manager (MEM) using wireless networks and cloud computing

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project, Microgrid Energy Manager (MEM), focuses on translating the technology of electrical power control using wireless computing to fill the need for cost effectively matching supply and demand of electricity in microgrids. The MEM is important because it will enable the widespread adoption of microgrids, which in-turn enables the widespread adoption of distributed renewable energy resources. This leads to environmental benefits and reduced energy costs to consumers and businesses. The AIR-TT project will result in a field-tested MEM that will be ready for commercial adoption by energy service and integration companies. MEM has the following unique features: (a) wireless operation; (b) smart user-interfaces; (c) low power consumption; (d) internet of things; and (e) cloud computing. Together, these features will remove the hassle for the energy users from having to frequently negotiate the nuances of microgrids, and will provide a consumer experience wherein intelligent control with smart phone and/or web interfaces become useful for realizing reduced energy costs and improving end-use comfort simultaneously. This project addresses the following key technology gap while translating the research discovery into commercial applications. The gap is a lack of design-oriented models that predict system-level interactions among power networks, wireless networks, embedded computing devices and cloud systems when they are deployed together. This project helps address this key technology gap by (a) building a definitive test-bed; (b) field-deploying the test beds to obtain performance data and (c) empirically identifying and refining design-oriented models. In addition, personnel involved in this project, including undergraduate and graduate students from engineering and business schools, will receive course-work and project-based learning in the areas of entrepreneurship and technology translation through (a) interdisciplinary special topics courses (b) the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Bootcamp (c) the business plan competitions such as the Wisconsin Energy and Sustainability Challenge, and (d) various fieldwork demonstrations. The project engages the City of Madison and Seventhwave (formerly the Energy Center of Wisconsin), to provide a test environment, guide commercialization aspects, and provide partnership in consulting to develop field deployment so as to translate this research discovery into a commercial reality.