OATI Microgrid Technology Center

At the heart of this microgrid is a Capstone C600 Signature Series natural gas-fired microturbine that simultaneously creates electricity and thermal energy for heating and cooling. The C600S microturbine is a dual-mode model, able to operate connected to a utility grid or operate stand-alone, providing power to critical loads when the utility is unavailable.

The clean exhaust from the microturbine is brought to a 200-refrigeration-ton capacity absorption chiller for building cooling or can be directed to a heat exchanger to provide up to 3MMBTU per hour of hot water for building heating. This combination of outputs is called combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) and provides more efficient use of fuel than the traditional utility electric power and separate thermal systems. The C600S microturbine is controlled by two fully redundant Capstone controllers for maximum resiliency.

Additional distributed energy resources in this microgrid include solar panels that can produce up to 180 kilowatts of power, wind turbines with a capacity of 24 kilowatts, an energy storage capacity of 231 kilowatt hours, and a traditional 1,500-kilowatt backup diesel generator. Tying all these separate power generation technologies together is a smart microgrid controller, featuring cutting-edge technology with the ability to control and dispatch using advanced optimization models.