The Department of Architectural Engineering at Penn State has created a handbook called CHP-Enabled Renewable Energy in Microgrids in Pennsylvania: A Guidance Document for Conceiving Feasible Systems for those who want to create composite microgrid systems that include both fossil fuels and renewables.
The benefits of composite systems include greater efficiency, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and renewable sources paired with capabilities like steam generation. Microgrids provide more reliability as well in times of unpredictable weather conditions. The Department of Architectural Engineering aims for this type of microgrid system to be used by multi-building facilities with predictable electric loads, and the guide walks the reader through microgrid feasibility at various scales, how to finance microgrids, and what the benefits are to users and developers.
This work was supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Energy Programs Office, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program.
Learn more at https://navyyard.psu.edu/energy-research/distributed-energy-and-smart-grids.