Feasibility Report of Microgrids at Lafayette College
By Jack Lydon, Kam Hardy, Brandon Stralka, Tom Strand
Above is a video giving a brief summary of our report. The link to the full PDF of the report is listed below
Introduction
Lafayette College is currently committed to its own climate action plans which aims “to develop a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible.” (18) More specially the college has announced its plan “to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions 20% from 2007 levels by 2021.” (18) The motive for Lafayette’s Climate Action Plan is twofold. First the school wants to do its share in reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions to diminish the school’s effect on the world climate. The city of Easton has its own climate action plan, substituting federal or state requirements, obligating the city to reduce its emissions. If Lafayette acts quickly it can be a beacon for clean energy for the rest of the city. The second is to remain competitive with other schools, like Princeton University and Dickinson College, which currently generate their own, emission free energy.
In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, Lafayette College is also susceptible to power outages, like that in the fall of 2016. If the college was to become energy independent it could not only ensure energy security for the college, but assist the city of Easton in the event of widespread power outages. The thousands of students at Lafayette are solely dependent of the College’s power supply and any power outage could leave all of them stranded without electricity.
In order to achieve Lafayette College’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035, Lafayette College is looking at multiple projects to increase the sustainability of the school. One of said projects is a microgrid that takes advantage of renewable resources that can be implemented on campus. Before diving into the possibility of using a microgrid all across campus, a smaller microgrid that could be placed in Anderson Courtyard to give the cluster of buildings their own microgrid. Anderson Courtyard is home to many of the colleges most energy intensive buildings, and creating a trial microgrid there could be used to measure the effectiveness of implementing a microgrid across the rest of Lafayette’s campus.
A microgrid is a power grid with the capability of disconnecting from the larger electrical grid, as well as the ability to use renewable resources for energy. These are the main features of a microgrid but there are also many other benefits of creating one. For example, easily identifiable issues when part of the system were to fail. Also the ability for the rest of the system to continue providing power to other areas even when part of the microgrid is experiencing issues. Compared to the larger macrogrid where a power line goes down and an entire area is left without power. The ability to keep providing power to the rest of the microgrid even when a part of it is experiencing issues is an incredible benefit. Overall the benefits of creating a microgrid are immense which is the reason why Lafayette College should look into the possibility of implementing a microgrid on campus.
Implementing a microgrid on Lafayette’s campus does not come without certain challenges. To start, there are multiple political factors that will decide whether this microgrid will actually be implemented on campus. There are multiple options that the college is currently weighing in order to order to achieve carbon neutrality and stay competitive with similar schools. The Board of Trustees must be persuaded for the implementation process to commence. The Lafayette community also needs to be involved in the implementation process in order for this microgrid to remain sustainable long-term. Funding is not as much of a challenge for microgrids, as the college and the board of trustees have made a commitment to reducing the environmental impact of Lafayette and have made it clear that they will spend the necessary funds. On the technical side, one of the biggest challenges facing the microgrid is finding the space necessary for the energy sources used for the microgrid, specifically with solar panels. Even just to power the Anderson Courtyard, the college would need an extensive amount of roof space. These buildings also need to be compatible with any of the new green technology implemented with the microgrid. Energy also needs to be stored effectively when there is excess energy being produced.
These challenges can be overcome. With communication and the politics surrounding microgrids it only takes consistent and full sharing of key concepts and knowledge about microgrids to those that do not have a full understanding. The only way that a microgrid will be used is if those in charge of the climate action plan, the board of trustees, see it as adding value and furthering Lafayette towards its goal of reducing emissions and staying competitive with rival schools. The challenge of achieving funds is more of a return-on-investment question. Adding a microgrid would be costly up front for the installation but would have the opportunity for a cash flow for the college by selling energy and reducing energy costs. The Lafayette community can benefit directly from having an installed microgrid on campus as well as indirectly by providing students the opportunity to learn about green energy and the grid itself. The space used for setting the infrastructure up would not interfere with day to day life as well, ensuring that Lafayette students are not losing aspects of their normal college experience. Some buildings may not be suited for a microgrid due to the structural integrity of the building or the roof design. To overcome this, it is essential to understand each building’s structure, weight limits, and floor plans for effective implementation. These questions of Lafayette’s existing electrical grid and infrastructure being able to handle a microgrid are able to be addressed by simply looking at what is already in place as well as the addition of this system would not be a burden on existing electrical infrastructure.