Customer Showcase

This project simulates and regulates voltage issues that arise in the UCSD microgrid due to high penetration of PV systems. Real data from meters on campus, along with simulated PV data, have been scaled and applied to a model of the UCSD microgrid in real-time simulation, where voltage issues have been observed. A distributed approach using the iADMM algorithm is implemented to calculate optimal voltage regulation setpoints for 6 BESS systems to maintain voltage within the safe range while optimizing the efficiency of the microgrid. The DERConnect testbed is used to seamlessly deploy the distributed algorithm onto 6 DER nodes and one DER node aggregator. Then, the results of real-time simulation are continuously recorded and updated in the DERConnect database and visualized on a custom dashboard. Credit to Sayed Sadat, Kohei Murakami, and Benjamin Hwang.

This past year, DERConnect launched a student outreach program, led by Dr. Phuong Truong. The program held workshops, seminars, and other educational events for students in the San Diego Region. In addition, a suite of projects-in-a-box were created and made available on our outreach website. The program culminated in a year-end event called the NextGen Forum. The event brought together faculty from the Center of Research, energy industry partners from the San Diego region, and students from our DERConnect Internship program for a networking event that supports our next generation of engineers and researchers in the field of renewable energy. Students presented on their learning experiences training in our internship program this past academic year. Industry and faculty speakers also gave inspirational talks on their work and how they are leading the future of energy in the San Diego.