This New Microgrid Combines Solar, Wind, Gas, Batteries, and a Hydrogren Fuel Cell

Faith Technologies and Schneider Electric have built a microgrid that combines a wide array of power sources at the Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve in Appleton, Wisconsin.

The microgrid uses a 200 kW in solar panels, a 30 kW hydrogen fuel cell, a 100 kW lithium-ion battery storage system, a 65 kW micro-turbine and a 60 kW Kohler natural gas generator to power the 18,000-square-foot nature center building.

“This microgrid was designed and engineered by Faith’s team of energy experts and utilizes specialized equipment and technology made possible through our collaboration with a very forward-thinking partner; Schneider Electric,” said Mike Jansen, CEO of Faith Technologies. “We worked together to make sure we were creating a solution that was not only environmentally smart but enhanced the preserve’s organizational sustainability through cost-effective energy efficiency as well.”

Engineered, procured and constructed by Faith Technologies, the microgrid’s integrated distributed energy resources are managed by Schneider Electric’s Energy Control Center, and Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Microgrid Advisor, a cloud-connected platform that autonomously configures the DERs into a range of different permutations to produce the most efficient, clean, and cost-effective combination of energy resources available at any given time.

The Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve project acts as a testing site for increasingly sophisticated microgrid operations, allowing testing and measurement of a microgrid technologies’ impact in a real-world environment while supporting the Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve’s mission.

Given the software is cloud-connected, the system will continue to grow in sophistication over the years without the need for any on-site visits or physical changes made by Schneider Electric or Faith Technologies. This allows the two companies to monitor the microgrid assets and update its programming remotely.