This position would support our team at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Lab (CERL) in modeling and improving the reliability and performance of installation power grids. Our team is also engaging in emerging projects surrounding power grid resilience, as we are looking to answer questions around how effectively solar arrays with supporting energy storage can instantaneously respond to sudden islanding from component or substation loss. Given the transition to alternate forms of energy production, it is critical to understand whether a power grid is equipped to withstand a range of adverse conditions to maintain power service for critical operations. These include small-scale community microgrids, large-scale utilities, remote grids, emergency response power systems, and grids that include novel forms of energy production. Our project aims to thoroughly inform installation and community leaders how the incorporation of certain technologies will impact the reliability, resilience, self-sufficiency, and sustainability of their power grids.
Our team is developing a mathematical model called Analysis of Microgrid Performance, Reliability, and Resilience (AMPeRRe) to forecast the outcomes of installation power grids and inform investment decisions. Objectives for its continual development include modeling the long-term performance of these power grids. This will incorporate functions that account for component degradation, changes in load patterns, and climate change. The model will account for uncertain factors by altering the algorithm to form a probabilistic simulation. It will require a sufficient platform and user interface for licensing, so background in software development is encouraged.
The Research Assistant will contribute to our efforts to expand AMPeRRe’s modeling capabilities to a greater variety of power grids with different performance objectives. The Research Assistant can explore how to mathematically model the power generation of non-conventional clean energy technologies to evaluate a greater variety of power grid configurations in AMPeRRe. Non-conventional technologies include concentrated thermal solar power, thermal energy storage, vertical-axis wind turbines, and hydrogen fuel, among others. Help is needed to conduct literature reviews targeted towards the resilience of isolated grids with a high proportion of renewables and energy storage. The Research Assistant may also explore and formulate methods to evaluate the resilience of certain types of power grids to specific conditions. This work will expand the scope of our project’s impact and quantify the value of alternate energy technologies to Military Installations and remote communities. The best candidates for this position are knowledgeable in power systems, renewables, and energy storage, or otherwise are eager to learn.
Applicants must be a U.S. Citizen
Preferred Knowledge and Interests:
- Microgrid reliability and resilience
- Power control systems and stability
- Renewable energy
- Energy storage systems
- Computational and/or mathematical modeling
- Machine learning
- Software and user interface development
- Literature review