Microgrids Strengthen Coastal Resiliency
Source: John Lemire, Jared Leader, Sonja Berdahl · T&D WORLD · | September 1, 2020
North Carolina electric co-ops are combating extreme weather events and compiling valuable lessons learned with microgrids.
Source: T&D World
The Outer Banks are a string of peninsulas and barrier islands running along the coast of North Carolina that separate the Atlantic Ocean from the U.S. mainland. They are home to long expanses of beautiful beaches, the historic first flight in Kitty Hawk and the state’s first utility microgrid.
The unique geographical location of the Outer Banks — the way it juts out from the Eastern Seaboard — makes it one of the most hurricane-prone areas in the U.S. One of its most remote islands, Ocracoke Island, is especially vulnerable to power outages from high winds and flooding as well as because of its isolation from central generation sources. If the single power line feeding the island is without service because of storms or other circumstances, the entire island could be without power. Electric service to the island is fed on a 75-mile (121-km) radial line that starts in Nags Head and includes four voltage changes and two underground cables. Historically, the island has relied on a diesel generator for backup power.
Ocracoke Island is served by Tideland Electric Membership Corp. (Tideland EMC), the power provider for 22,000 cooperative members on the island and in six coastal counties. Tideland EMC procures wholesale power from North Carolina Electric Membership Corp. (NCEMC), the co-op power supply organization serving most of North Carolina’s distribution co-ops. North Carolina has 26 distinct member-owned, not-for-profit electric co-ops that serve approximately 2.5 million people in 93 of the state’s 100 counties, many of which are in coastal and rural regions. Recognizing opportunities to enhance service — while also studying emerging grid technologies — NCEMC and its member co-ops have focused on developing tools and solutions, like microgrids, to make their coastal systems more resilient. Microgrids are small electric systems that combine local energy resources, technologies, and microgrid controls to provide power to a defined area. These microgrids typically remain connected to the main grid but can operate independently.