wiredInUSA June 2019

Image: Duke Energy

Regulators approve microgrid project

Madison County will see a new microgrid installation after the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) approved Duke Energy’s latest renewable energy project. The company will proceed with a solar and battery-powered microgrid system in Hot Springs, to improve electric reliability, provide services to the overall electric system and serve as a backup power supply to the town. “Duke Energy’s research work on microgrids has led to a large-scale effort that will better serve... these customers in a remote area [and] also help us gain experience from this pilot project to better serve all customers with additional

distributed energy and energy storage technologies,” said Dr Zak Kuznar, Duke Energy’s managing director of microgrid and energy storage development. The Hot Springs microgrid will consist of a 2MW AC solar facility with a 4MW lithium-based battery storage facility. The microgrid is expected to provide energy and additional bulk system benefits for all customers, including frequency and voltage regulation, and increasing capacity during system peaks.

The project should be operational in early 2020.

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wiredInUSA - June 2019