Advanced Clean Energy program: Grid integration

The grid integration pillar of the National Research Council of Canada's (NRC) Advanced Clean Energy program aims to overcome the challenges associated with integrating advanced clean energy generation and storage technologies into the electrical grid and microgrids. This work supports the goals of meeting the energy needs of end-users while minimizing the use of fossil fuels. Our objective is to enable the development and commercialization of microgrids based on validated stakeholder needs to improve conventional power systems.

The grid integration pillar is organized into 3 primary areas of R&D:

• Renewables testing and validation: Assessing new technologies in a system environment at the NRC's Vancouver microgrid test facility to ensure that they meet the reliability and performance requirements of a wide range of end-users
• System integration and control: Investigating system-level configurations and optimization strategies to achieve high reliability while allowing maximum penetration of renewable power
• Energy resiliency: Identifying opportunities for microgrids to meet the changing energy needs resulting from extreme weather events caused by global warming or to meet the needs of regions of conflict