Microgrid Boot Camp

Funding for the Microgrid Boot Camp is provided by the Office of Naval Research.

Dates: May 11 – 15, 2020

What: 5-day training session at the ACEP facilities in Fairbanks

Location: University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus/PSI Lab

Audience: Engineering/CS/economics students with an interest in energy systems, utility engineers and staff

AgendaDay 1: Energy Economics, Energy Policies and Regulations, History of Electrification and

Microgrid Development in Alaska (“Railbelt” vs remote)

Site assessment and data collection: hands-on exercises at the MET station

Day 2: Microgrid 101: What are microgrids and how do they work? What types are there and what components go into a microgrid?

Electrical and thermal load estimation exercise

Electrical/thermal energy hands-on exercise

Day 3: Design of a microgrid with XENDEE: introduction, data entry, interpreting results

Hands-on exercises with the Illumination Station - an ACEP-built wind & microgrid kit

Day 4: Design of a microgrid with XENDEE: village model design using load data from Alaskan villages

Power Systems Integration lab tour and real-time lab demonstration exercise

Day 5: Tour of an energy facility/power plant

ACEP’s Microgrid Boot Camp was designed to prepare students for a summer internship with urban and rural utilities and as an introductory course to microgrids for utility engineers and staff. It’s a fast-track 5-day training class that teaches basic concepts and designs of microgrids and introduces economic, regulatory and social challenges in planning and operating those grids.

For more information contact Heike Merkel <hmerkel@alaska.edu>