Mikronät i Knutby

Sammanfattning: The goal of this project was to construct a model of a microgrid to avert possible power disruptions. The microgrid should provide electrical energy to four essential facilities; a nursing home, a gas station, a preschool and a fire station. The simulations were performed on the assumption that the microgrid is self-sufficient and thereby has its own energy production and storage. The potential of the solar cells, as an energy source, was investigated in the simulation model. A biogas turbine was considered to compensate for the months when the energy production is less than the demand.  Energy storage in the form of a lithium-ion battery was also included in the simulation model. The battery was designed to operate immediately after a power outage. According to the simulations, the installed solar cells did not generate enough electrical energy to satisfy  the energy needs in the facilities during autumn, winter and spring. If a storm strikes during these seasons, Knutby will have insufficient power. The system has been deemed insufficiently resilient when the system is off-grid. However, if this system is combined with a backup power source, it will be more resilient. The solar cells would provide electrical energy during the summer and the backup power supply would handle any emergency situations during the rest of the year. Biogas is produced locally at Kungsängens gård and will therefore make the system more resilient  If the aim and/or use of the microgrid were to be changed, the choice of energy production and energy storage might be altered to satisfy the given purpose.