CERTS Microgrid Demonstration With Large-Scale Energy Storage and Renewable Generation

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The Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS) Microgrid concept captures the emerging potential of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) using an automatous plug-and-play approach. CERTS views generation and associated loads as a subsystem or a ?Microgrid.? The sources can operate in parallel to the grid or can operate in island, providing high levels of electrical reliability. The system can disconnect from the utility
during large events (i.e., faults, voltage collapses), but also may disconnect intentionally when the quality of power from the grid falls below certain standards. CERTS Microgrid concepts have been demonstrated at the Alameda County Santa Rita Jail in California. The existing system included a 1-MW fuel cell, 1.2 MW of solar photovoltaic, and two 1.2-MW diesel generators. Adding a 2-MW, 4-MWh storage system, a fast static switch, and a power factor correcting capacitor bank enabled microgrid operation. The islanding and resynchronization methods met all Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard 1547 and the reliability requirements of the jail.

Citation Formats

TY  - DATA
AB  - The Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS) Microgrid concept captures the emerging potential of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) using an automatous plug-and-play approach. CERTS views generation and associated loads as a subsystem or a “Microgrid.” The sources can operate in parallel to the grid or can operate in island, providing high levels of electrical reliability. The system can disconnect from the utility
during large events (i.e., faults, voltage collapses), but also may disconnect intentionally when the quality of power from the grid falls below certain standards. CERTS Microgrid concepts have been demonstrated at the Alameda County Santa Rita Jail in California. The existing system included a 1-MW fuel cell, 1.2 MW of solar photovoltaic, and two 1.2-MW diesel generators. Adding a 2-MW, 4-MWh storage system, a fast static switch, and a power factor correcting capacitor bank enabled microgrid operation. The islanding and resynchronization methods met all Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard 1547 and the reliability requirements of the jail.
AU  - Alegria, Eduardo
A2  - Brown, Tim
A3  - Minear, Erin
A4  - Lasseter, Robert H.
DB  - C-MIX - Community Microgrid Information Exchange
DP  - Open EI | National Laboratory of the Rockies
DO  - 
KW  - Power electronics and inverters
KW  - Power electronics
KW  - Inverters
KW  - Battery energy storage
KW  - Solar
KW  - Photovoltaics
KW  - PV
KW  - Diesel generators
KW  - Other liquid-fuel generators
KW  - Maintenance and operations
KW  - Operations
KW  - Maintenance
KW  - Commissioning
KW  - Standards
KW  - Interconnection
KW  - Protection
KW  - Case studies
KW  - Performance
KW  - Local energy resources (LER)
LA  - English
DA  - 2014/03/01
PY  - 2014
PB  - Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions
T1  - CERTS Microgrid Demonstration With Large-Scale Energy Storage and Renewable Generation
UR  - https://cmix.openei.org/submissions/184
ER  -

Export Citation to RIS

Alegria, Eduardo, et al. CERTS Microgrid Demonstration With Large-Scale Energy Storage and Renewable Generation. Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions, 1 March, 2014, C-MIX - Community Microgrid Information Exchange. https://cmix.openei.org/submissions/184.

Alegria, E., Brown, T., Minear, E., & Lasseter, R. (2014). CERTS Microgrid Demonstration With Large-Scale Energy Storage and Renewable Generation. [Data set]. C-MIX - Community Microgrid Information Exchange. Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions. https://cmix.openei.org/submissions/184

Alegria, Eduardo, Tim Brown, Erin Minear, and Robert H. Lasseter. CERTS Microgrid Demonstration With Large-Scale Energy Storage and Renewable Generation. Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions, March, 1, 2014.  Distributed by C-MIX - Community Microgrid Information Exchange. https://cmix.openei.org/submissions/184

@misc{CMIX_Dataset_184,
title = {CERTS Microgrid Demonstration With Large-Scale Energy Storage and Renewable Generation},
author = {Alegria, Eduardo and Brown, Tim and Minear, Erin and Lasseter, Robert H.},
abstractNote = {The Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS) Microgrid concept captures the emerging potential of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) using an automatous plug-and-play approach. CERTS views generation and associated loads as a subsystem or a ?Microgrid.? The sources can operate in parallel to the grid or can operate in island, providing high levels of electrical reliability. The system can disconnect from the utility

during large events (i.e., faults, voltage collapses), but also may disconnect intentionally when the quality of power from the grid falls below certain standards. CERTS Microgrid concepts have been demonstrated at the Alameda County Santa Rita Jail in California. The existing system included a 1-MW fuel cell, 1.2 MW of solar photovoltaic, and two 1.2-MW diesel generators. Adding a 2-MW, 4-MWh storage system, a fast static switch, and a power factor correcting capacitor bank enabled microgrid operation. The islanding and resynchronization methods met all Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard 1547 and the reliability requirements of the jail.},
url = {https://cmix.openei.org/submissions/184},
year = {2014},
howpublished = {C-MIX - Community Microgrid Information Exchange, Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions, https://cmix.openei.org/submissions/184},
note = {Accessed: 2026-06-18}
}

Details

Data from Mar 1, 2014

Last updated Mar 30, 2026

Submitted Jun 2, 2026