The Keating Nanogrid at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) was designed to be an islandable ac/dc hybrid nanogrid. The on-site rooftop... Show moreThe Keating Nanogrid at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) was designed to be an islandable ac/dc hybrid nanogrid. The on-site rooftop solar and battery system are supporting the interconnected dc and ac subsystems. The nanogrid system at the ac bus is eventually interconnected with the IIT Microgrid. The battery storage system at Keating Nanogrid was designed to support its critical loads for about 8 hours daily. A battery management system (BMS) was employed so that it can monitor and report storage system status to the Keating Nanogrid controller for optimal decision making.The dc load including 94 fixtures controllable LED lighting system was designed to replace the original 189 fixtures ac florescent lighting system. The LEDs’ dc-dc driver was designed and built to enable the dc input provided by the rooftop solar photovoltaic system. The dc system control and communication module was designed and built to make the LED lights controllable individually by the Keating Nanogrid controller or sensor network.To enhance safety at night, 4 islandable LED streetlights were deployed on the east side of the Keating Nanogrid where grid connection was not available for lighting. The east-side streetlight is self-sustained with its own wind turbine, solar panel and battery. The real-time monitoring system was designed and built for the streetlights.The Keating Nanogrid was designed for multiple purposes including the monitoring and control of all elements via pertinent communication pathways. It exchanges the real-time information with the IIT Microgrid and together they make optimal operation decisions to enhance efficiency and reliability of the entire IIT Microgrid system. Show less
