Case Studies

Solution

Remote off-grid Innovus GridGenius VSG RDFM ‘Rapid Deployment Flex Microgrid’ plus Solar

Application

Remote Community

Location

Canadian remote community with 550 residents located along the Arctic Ocean

Customer

Canadian Community

Objectives

  • Significantly reduce diesel consumption not including impact of solar
  • Integrate new solar plant with lower upfront capital costs and improve solar plant delivered efficiency
  • Improve power quality and keep at high level while solar plant is active
  • Simplify powerhouse operations by having one Innovus GridGenius VSG operate 24/7 more efficiently than 2-3 Synchronous ‘Fixed Speed’ gensets ‘FSG’
  • Extended maintenance intervals if possible

Before GridGenius

  • Community powerhouse typically deployed 2 or 3 fixed-speed synchronous Gensets each day depending on the power demands expected over that time period. A 4th genset was in place for back-up
  • Diesel fuel provided all energy for community power plant

Today with Innovus GridGenius VSG with Renewables in RDFM module powerhouse

  • One Innovus GridGenius VSG RDFM deployed 24/7 handling all primary power needs
  • 4 Fixed Speed Synchronous Gensets being used for backup when Innovus GridGenius VSG is being serviced
  • Solar plant is active and recently expanded

Results

  • One Innovus GridGenius VSG running 24/7 as planned carrying full community demands
  • High reliability and improved over previous power systems
  • Extended maintenance cycles
  • Fuel savings from 20-50% depending on time of year excluding solar impact
  • Higher power quality inclusive of volatility of solar availability

Simplifying the powerhouse to a single system thereby reducing maintenance cost, training needs, logistical support and spare parts stocking costs

Solution

Remote off-grid Innovus GridGenius Flex Fuel- Natural Gas

Application

Industrial heavy manufacturing facility

Location

Canada

Customer

Major natural gas genset OEM distributor

Objectives

  • Reduce number of gensets required to support the facility from 6 gensets to 5
  • Reduce natural gas consumption by 10%
  • Improve power quality to bring facility to within industry specification 
  • Simplify operations of powerhouse

Before Innovus GridGenius

  • Natural gas genset OEM distributor took customer facility off-grid using 6 natural gas gensets to reduce their cost of power with 2 additional gensets for reserve power
  • Due to high load demand volatility, power quality was often outside specifications leading to higher energy consumption and decreased life expectancy of major electrical plant components
  • Power plant operations was complex as facility was required to turn on and off power generation equipment depending on what processing equipment was being run in the factory

Today with GridGenius Flex Fuel Natural Gas

  • Innovus GridGenius Flex Fuel system added with ultracap stored energy system
  • Plant now only needs 4 gensets for ongoing operations plus Innovus GridGenius Flex Fuel

Results

  • Plant requires 4 natural gas gensets to operate instead of 6 now having 4 back-up systems
  • Higher overall plant efficiency, less maintenance, and lower emissions
  • Power quality now can meet specifications for power quality critical applications
  • System is easier to operate for plant operators

Solution

Microgrid Design Services configuration review and recommendations

Application

Light Industrial

Location

Caribbean

Customer

Integrated agriculture and processing facility

Objectives

  • Reduce power cost, which accounts for the second largest line item among all operating costs.
  • Improve reliability of power supply. The local utility suffers 2 or more outages per month.
  • Reduce carbon footprint to the degree economically feasible.
  • Modernize in-plant power distribution to simplify operations and reduce operation and maintenance (O&M) costs

Current Situation:

  • The processing facility operates 24×7 for much of the year.
  • The facility has acreage which could be used for a renewable energy system.
  • Utility power costs are high and subject to further escalation due to the utility’s dependence on imported diesel fuel for base load power generation.
  • The regional utility does not allow net metering so any self generation capacity must be utilized by the facility.
  • The frequent utility power outages interrupt production and further increase energy costs by forcing the facility to run standby diesel generators.
  • Other nearby industrial firms have implemented solar or LNG generators with some cost reduction, encouraging this firm to consider the economic feasibility of doing something similar.
  • Lacking the internal resources and technical expertise, the customer utilized Innovus Power Microgrid Design Services to evaluate the options and recommend a course of action.

Scope of Evaluation:

  • The historic utility billing provided a summary of the facility’s power consumption with daily and seasonal variances.
  • The available acreage was evaluated regarding potential solar production given the terrain, shading, and local microclimates.
  • Multiple configurations for alternate generation were modeled against the facility’s power consumption profile and the utility rate structure for demand and energy to compare the relative economics of each. For each configuration, the economic modeling included capital cost, operating and maintenance costs, and supplemental utility power costs.
  • The alternative generation configurations included LNG generation, stand-alone solar with various capacities, and solar plus energy storage in various capacities.
  • The existing powerhouse was evaluated in order to determine the most cost-effective way to integrate any self generation options.
  • Financing options for the most economic configurations were included.

Key Findings of Evaluation:

  • The best return on investment and greatest savings resulted from a solar plus battery storage system that has enough capacity to provide approximately 90% of the required energy.
  • The existing standby diesels will be run for a limited number of hours to further reduce the utility demand charges, which are relatively high.
  • The utility will provide supplemental power during nighttime operations and during extended periods of cloudy weather.
  • The Innovus Power GridGenius Renewables Plus Standby system will be utilized to control power flow to and from all components in the most cost effective, efficient manner while minimizing emissions.
  • A ten-year financing option was recommended to reduce the customer’s up-front cash flow.
  • In the cost comparison graph below, the base case utility supply is compared to LNG generation, a solar solution supplying approximately 60% of the required power, and one providing 90% of the facility’s energy. The cumulative costs for each solution include the total installed costs, O&M, standby generation, supplemental utility power, and powerhouse upgrades.

Results

  • The customer has begun work on the powerhouse upgrades recommended by Innovus Power. These will simplify operation, reduce maintenance costs, and establish the electrical framework necessary for the eventual renewable energy and storage system.

Discover which Innovus Solutions can provide you with power certainty and power quality at a lower cost of power.

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