Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

This project addresses the testing and development challenges of the Canadian Renewable Energy Laboratoryx000D
(Can-REL) microgrid facility. A microgrid is a small electric power system which includes distributed energyx000D
resources (DER), storage, and consumers, and can operate effectively when connected to the primary grid orx000D
when isolated. In addition to facilitating the integration of renewable energy, isolated microgrids have becomex000D
an appealing option to bring efficient energy to remote communities in the Canadian north, supplementing orx000D
replacing fossil fuel-based generators. Operating microgrids efficiently presents many technical engineeringx000D
challenges, mostly stemming from the small size of the system and from the difficulty in forecasting renewablex000D
energy production. Addressing these technical issues requires various interface and control systems, mostx000D
importantly an overall energy management system (EMS) to interact with and coordinate all generation andx000D
storage resources within the microgrid.x000D
Canadian Solar has built and commissioned the Can-REL in Guelph, ON, which includes various DERs and ax000D
battery energy storage system. The company is interested in developing and testing novel residential andx000D
industrial microgrid configurations and energy management systems, with a focus on providing a clean,x000D
efficient, and reliable supply of electric energy for remote communities. This project will accomplish two mainx000D
tasks. First, a new user interface will be developed for the microgrid testbed, replacing the simplistic existingx000D
interface. This will allow for for greater control over existing assets, and for the detailed testing of new energyx000D
management systems. Second, a large diesel generator will be emulated using power electronics, to facilitatex000D
improved testing of energy management systems. These developments will enable the company to more easilyx000D
test and develop microgrid technology for deployment in remote communities, and to commercialize the use ofx000D
the Can-REL as a testing platform.