Microgrid Certification Training (3-Days Long)
Microgrid Certification Training curriculum is a leading-edge certification and relevant to what is happening in the energy industry right now.
Live on-line and at your site or at Tonex site
Microgrid technology is an advanced technology developed in recent years as a critical competence of traditional power networks with reliable and efficient operation across a wide range of industries. The ability to deliver technical information of smart grids to the right audience at the right time is a valuable skill, especially for those engaged in the field of power systems.
Microgrid Certification Training helps you to understand microgrids, their operation and control as well as energy management and storage principles applied to the microgrids.
This certificate is divided into three main topics in microgrids which will help engineers, technicians, project managers and scientists to prepare themselves with the skills and required confidence to meet their organization’s needs or position themselves for their job responsibilities and promotions.
Microgrid Certification Training Course by Tonex
Our world class instructors will help you to understand the fundamental concepts of microgrids to tackle the real-world challenges. The microgrid certificate consists of four major topics:
- Introduction to Microgrids
- Microgrid operation and control
- Energy management and storage systems in Microgrids
The first part of the Microgrid Certification Training briefly introduces the concept of microgrids, background of renewable energy sources as the main components of a microgrid, history of renewable energy sources, advantages of microgrids and transmission system implemented in microgrids. Furthermore, you will be introduced to the basic per unit systems applied to microgrids, different types of microgrids, main operating modes in a microgrid such as islanded mode and grid connected mode.
To add more details to microgrids training, you will learn the basics of solar panels, wind farms and energy storage systems as three main components of a microgrid in detail. For each part, the operation basics, and main components will be briefly introduced, and recent advancement will be taught. For example, main components of a wind farm generation unit such as wind generators, wind turbines, towers, and foundations will be introduced, and power converters implemented for each device will be discussed briefly.
By the end of the first part, participants will understand the basics of microgrid operation and should be able to understand the solar photovoltaic panels, wind farms, and battery energy storage systems.
Microgrid Certification Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the Microgrid Certification Training course, the attendees are able to:
- Understand the concept of microgrids with its main components
- Understand the operation of battery energy storage systems
- Describe the main parts and operation principle of wind farms
- Explain the operation and control of PV modules
- Describe the main power electronic converter types implemented in microgrids
- Understand the hierarchical control of microgrids
- Describe the differences between islanded mode and grid connected mode operation of microgrids
- Explain the droop control methods implemented in microgrids
- Understand the voltage and frequency control algorithms in microgrids
- Describe the power control methods in islanded or grid connected mode operation
- Understand the energy management systems (EMS) in microgrids
- Tackle different challenges related to microgrid EMS
- Understand the EMS in centralized or decentralized microgrids
- Explain the effect of data forecasting in microgrid EMS
- Learn the fundamentals of BESS
Audience
Microgrid Certification Training is a 3-day course designed for:
- All engineers who want to learn, design, or operate microgrids.
- Power traders to understand modern microgrid technologies.
- Independent system operator personnel.
- Faculty members from academic institutes who want to teach renewable energy or microgrid courses.
- Investors and contractors who plan to make investments in smart grid industry.
- Professionals in other energy industries.
- Marketing people who need to know the background of the products they sell.
- Electric utility personnel who recently started a career in power systems or having new job responsibilities related to microgrids.
- Technicians, operators, and maintenance personnel who are or will be working at green energy-based companies.
- Managers, accountants, and executives of the power system industry.
- Scientists or non-electrical engineers involved in microgrid related projects or proposals.
- Graduate students seeking a professional career in microgrids.
Microgrid Certification Training Course Agenda and Topics
Introduction To Microgrids
- Microgrid Fundamentals
- Traditional power network
- Background and history of renewable energy sources
- Trends for microgrids
- Power electronic based devices
- Common terms
- Cower consumption in microgrids
- Renewable generation units
- Different types of loads in microgrids
- Component of a microgrids
- Per unit system
- Transmission lines
Microgrid Architecture, Configuration and Building Blocks
- DC and AC microgrids
- Advantages of microgrids
- Redundancy
- Modularity
- Fault tolerance
- Efficiency in microgrids
- Maintenance
- Smaller size and cost benefits
- Grid connected microgrids
- Islanded mode operation of microgrids
- Typical structure of microgrids
- AC-DC hybrid microgrids
- Microgrid configurations
- Synchronization of AC sources in microgrids
- Stability assessment of microgrids
- Microgrid protection
- Transformers in microgrids
- Different types of load in microgrids
- Fault tolerance in microgrids
- Cost benefits regarding microgrids
- Hybrid microgrids
Microgrid Planning, Design, Control and Operation
- Microgrid Planning, Design and Construction
- Advancements in the power generation and distribution technologies
- Utility Power & Loads
- Substation for Utility Power Supply
- Backup & Peak Demand Generator Power
- Indoor Generator Applications
- Outdoor Generator Applications
- Green Power Generation
- Wind Power
- Solar
- Backup Battery Banks
- Lead Acid
- Lithium Ion
- Cost of Renewable Energy & Energy Storage Systems
- Control Station
- Microgrid stability assessment and protection
- Batteries in solar panels
- Different types of PV modules
- PV strings
- Hybrid PV systems
- Pulse width modulation techniques in microgrids
- Power voltage curves for PV system
- Control of wind energy systems
- Power curves in wind turbines
- Different types of wind turbines
- Concept of energy storage systems
- Battery systems
- Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
- Battery management system (BMS)
- Power conversion system (PCS)
- Energy management system (EMS)
- Applications of energy storage systems in microgrids
- Conventional energy storage systems
- Control of battery energy storage systems
- Droop control in energy storage systems
Basics of Microgrid Control
- Types of operation of microgrids
- Control in grid connected mode
- Control in islanded mode
- Power electronic based equipment in microgrids
- Power electronic converters
- Power electronic switches
- Classification of power electronic converters implemented in microgrids
- Voltage source converters in microgrids
- Multilevel voltage source converters
- Pulse width modulation techniques
- Operation principles of PV panel system
- Operation principles of wind turbines
- Effect of UPS in microgrid systems
- Distributed loads in microgrids
- Effect of virtual inertias in microgrids
- Integration of distributed generation to shape smart grids
- Necessity of maximum power point trackers
- Operation of storage units in islanded mode
- Effect of electric vehicle charging stations in microgrids
- Wind turbine generations, offshore and on shore
Islanded Mode Operation of Microgrids
- Islanded mode operation basics
- Effect of long-term voltage dips or faults
- Importing and exporting the active and reactive power
- Controlling the current and voltage in converters
- Supporting the frequency and voltage
- Virtual synchronous generator effect
- Blackouts by main grids
- Voltage and frequency management in islanded mode operation
- Supply and demand balancing effect
- Power quality in islanded mode operation
- Hierarchy of loads in islanded mode
- Concept of point of common coupling
- Control of a voltage source converter in islanded mode
- Effect of LCL filter
- Direct and quadratic (d-q) axis based control
- Voltage control loop
- Effect of inner current loop in islanded mode
- Parallel converters in islanded mode operation
- Effect of master/slave control in islanded mode
- Frequency droop control in parallel operation
- Voltage droop control in parallel operation
Grid Connected Mode Operation of Microgrids
- Basics of grid connected operation
- Control of a single converter in grid connected mode
- Effect of parallel converters in control
- Concept of master and slave control
- Inner current loop and voltage control in grid connected mode
- Droop control strategy of grid connected converters
- Active power sharing among converters through droop
- Reactive power sharing droop
- Concept of inertia in microgrids
- Effect of synchronization through an inverter
- An inverter working as a synchronous generator
- Park transformation in droop control of inverters in grid connected mode
- Low voltage ride through capability of voltage source converters in grid connected mode
Hierarchical Control of Microgrids
- Primary control loop
- Secondary control in microgrids
- Tertiary control
- Centralized control of microgrids
- Decentralized control of microgrids
- Primary control in wind energy systems
- Primary control in PV systems
- Primary control in energy storages
- Secondary control in wind energy systems
- Secondary control in PV systems
- Secondary control in energy storages
- Calculating power flow for tertiary control
- SOC management control for energy storage system
- Cooperative synchronization of multiple energy storage units
- Secondary control in islanded microgrids
- Frequency restorations
- Power quality improvement
- Energy management systems for load shedding
- Load shedding
- Peak shaving control
- Synchronization of the microgrid with grid
- Optimization and upper level control as a tertiary control loop
- Low voltage ride through as a tertiary control loop
- Islanding detection
- Microgrids interconnections
- Harmonic compensation
- Voltage harmonic reduction in grid connected mode
- Voltage harmonic reduction in islanded mode
- Unbalance compensation in microgrids
- Concept of unbalance in microgrids
- Sources for unbalances
- Modeling the unbalance effect
- Designing the compensation algorithms
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and Microgrids
- Concept of energy storage systems
- Emerging needs for energy storages
- Effect of energy storages in utility, customers and generations
- Classifications of energy storage systems
- Economics of energy storages in market
- Energy storage applications in current grids
- Limiting factors in energy storage implementations
- Mechanical storage systems
- Electromechanical storage systems
- Chemical energy storages
- Thermal storage systems
- Conventional battery technology
- Capacitors
- Superconducting magnetic energy storage
- Contingency reserves by energy storages
- Reactive support and voltage control
- Black start capability of energy storages
- Congestion management by energy storages in microgrids
- Demand management
- Detailed models of energy storage systems
- Different sizes of energy storage system for microgrid applications
- Applications of energy storages in microgrids
- Grid operational support by energy storages
- Power quality and reliability improvements by energy storages
- Concept and power and energy in storage systems
- Discharging principles
- Short term applications of energy storages in microgrids
- Control of energy storage systems
- Droop control
- Active and reactive power control in energy storages
- State of charge (SOC) control
- Optimization techniques by energy storage system control
Microgrid Design Workshop (Group Capstone Project)
- Define the boundaries of the system to be considered.
- Identify critical loads:
- Define critical infrastructure (components such as switches and transformers)
- Obtain input for defining performance goals from the city, county business, etc.
- Attain system status awareness (distribution, transmission, and ISO)
- Obtain stakeholder input for defining performance goals.
- Work with city, county, etc. to create or identify the Design Basis Threat (DBT) document(s) that should be applied to the models and identify boundaries on the maximum allowable (tolerable) consequences.
- Create a performance risk vector that shows the risk of each element in the grid by analyzing existing infrastructure and loads against the DBT(s). This results in baseline system response to events in the DBT relative to the preliminary system performance goals.
- Determine what modifications to the system should be considered high-level options to enhance system performance to meet preliminary performance goals.
- Using high-level options found in (9), engineer low-cost potential solutions and prove technical and operational feasibility as well as the ability to meet identified performance goals.
- For each option considered, evaluate the performance risk to make sure that system performance is appropriately enhanced, and the risks are reduced.
- Evaluate engineered solutions and determine the cost/performance (Pareto) frontier and identify the best viable options with input from the stakeholders.
- Compare the respective reliability of baseline and engineered solution cases and costs to the system goals.
Advanced Topics (Optional Modules for Customized Group Training Programs)
Microgrid Operation and Control
- Voltage source converters in microgrids
- Distributed loads in microgrids
- Effect of electric vehicle charging in microgrid
- Operation of storage units in islanded mode
- Virtual synchronous generator effect in islanded microgrid
- Power quality in islanded mode
- Effect of LCL filter
- Inner current loop and frequency control in islanded mode
- Control of single converter in grid connected mode
- Master and slave control of microgrids
- Primary droop control
- Secondary voltage and frequency control in microgrids
- Primary control in wind farms, energy storage and PV
- Power flow using tertiary control of microgrids
- Frequency restoration
- Peak shaving in microgrids
- Demand response in microgrids
- Unbalance compensation
- Voltage harmonic reduction in microgrids
Energy Management and Storage Systems in Microgrids
- Supplement Renewables
- Peak Shaving
- Load Leveling
- Uninterruptible Power Supply
- Optimal dispatch in microgrid EMS
- Monitoring devices for EMS
- Load dispatch in microgrid EMS
- Major vendors of EMS
- Photovoltaic in EMS
- Battery energy storage effect in microgrid EMS
- Centralized and decentralized EMS in microgrids
- Microgrid central controller (MGCC)
- Communicating with neighbors in microgrid
- Synchronization of microgrid through consensus objective
- Data transfer limit between neighbors in microgrid
- Human machine interface (HMI)
- Real-time control effect in microgrid EMS
- Optimization in microgrid EMS
- Weather forecasting
- Short term and long term EMS
- Electricity market in EMS
- Reliability of communications
- Time synchronization
- Openness of microgrid EMS
- Reliability and cyber security of microgrid EMS
A microgrid is a self-sufficient energy system that serves a discrete geographic footprint, such as a college campus, hospital complex, business center or neighborhood.
Within microgrids are one or more kinds of distributed energy (solar panels, wind turbines, combined heat & power, generators) that produce its power. In addition, many newer microgrids contain energy storage, typically from batteries. Some also now have electric vehicle charging stations.
Interconnected to nearby buildings, the microgrid provides electricity and possibly heat and cooling for its customers, delivered via sophisticated software and control systems.
Key features of a microgrid include:
- A microgrid is independent
- A microgrid is intelligent
- A microgrid is local
Microgrid technology is surging. In fact, nearly 600 microgrid projects in the U.S. went into the planning and deployment stages just this year. There are now 4,475 microgrid projects around the world with a generating capacity of 26,769 megawatts of power.
The popularity of microgrid technology should not be too surprising. The benefits of a microgrid are considerable, including:
- The ability to disconnect from utility grid during disturbance and operate independently
- They reduce demand on utility grids preventing grid failure
- Both electricity and heat energy can be used via a microgrid so that overall efficiency increases
The emergence of the microgrid as a viable producer of electricity has come in large part due to the limits reached by North America’s aging power grid. The rising costs of full grid power, cybersecurity concerns and a shift to more severe weather patterns that lead to power failures have all played into the microgrid movement.
The ability to continue powering commercial and industrial operations through grid outages is proving increasingly valuable to organizations as grid outages increase in frequency and duration.
And, for an economy such as that of the U.S., which is increasingly dependent on electricity for digital and high-tech, power outages aren’t just inconvenient. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. economy loses $150 billion each year from outages.
One recent trend has been utilities becoming part owners in microgrids by partnering with third parties. This mixed model provides grid electricity during normal operation, but during an outage, the grid power becomes the property of the third party, usually a private community or town.
The second part of the Microgrid Certification Training, Microgrid certificate training focuses on operation and control of microgrids from basic traditional approaches to the advanced hierarchical control of microgrids.
Firstly, basics of microgrid control will be introduced and different control modes in islanded mode and grid connected operation mode of microgrids will be discussed. You will also learn the power electronic converter control, classifications and operation, operation principles of wind farms, PV, energy storage, concept of offshore wind farms, and maximum power point tracking in microgrids.
Next our instructors will focus on two separate operating modes in a microgrid (islanded and grid connect) and will describe the different control methodologies applied to each mode so far. For example, participants learn the effect of voltage dips in islanded mode, active power control in islanded/grid connected mode, supporting the voltage and frequency in grid connected mode, parallel operation of converters in islanded/grid connected mode, concept of droop control in islanded mode, reactive power sharing in grid connected mode, and low voltage ride through capability of converters in grid connected mode.
Finally, the advanced control methodology named hierarchical control of microgrid will be introduced and concepts of primary, secondary and tertiary controllers will be discussed in detail.
The third part of Microgrid Certification Training covers the energy management system (EMS) in microgrids. Firstly, the definitions and common terms will be provided to describe the concept of EMS. Then, the audience will be introduced with the main topics of EMS in microgrids such as Data forecasting in microgrid EMS, DG scheduling, load dispatch, photovoltaic effect in EMS, effect of fuel cells in microgrid EMS, and optimization platform for microgrids.
After the introductory part, our instructors will go into the details of EMS architecture and control in microgrids. You will learn the centralized and decentralized EMS techniques, market operator, local controllers, effect of real time data in centralized EMS, communication advancement in EMS, exchanging the price information between multiple DGs, advantages and disadvantages of microgrid EMS, forecasting the data for EMS, optimizing the power flow, optimizing the EMS policies and voltage and frequency control in short term microgrid EMS.
Finally, the audience will be introduced to the challenges in the microgrid EMS such as renewable energy intermittency, network latency, reliability of communications, two way communication challenges and cyber security in centralized and decentralized microgrid EMS.
Microgrid Certification Training