A historic legacy now translates to pioneering capabilities in electric grid technology at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The secure electrical infrastructure that enabled World War II nuclear advances under the Manhattan Project has evolved into the ideal test bed for modernizing the nation's grid for the 21st century.
ORNL's Grid Research Innovation and Development Center (GRID-C) uses the laboratory's electric grid to prove innovations for smooth transmission to industry with minimal risk. ORNL basically functions as its own utility, with power generated by the Tennessee Valley Authority supplying a campus that encompasses thousands of acres and two high-energy neutron research facilities. This infrastructure is a realistic proving ground for integrating advances in electricity distribution.
Research starts at the GRID-C technology development center on ORNL's nearby Hardin Valley Campus. The center hosts laboratories for large-scale grid simulation and for designing technologies that can be tested with real hardware up to 13,800 volts. By adding field validation in a section of the ORNL campus grid, GRID-C can now integrate innovations into systems with real loads, sensors, energy sources and energy storage.
"This is how we transition technologies to utility electric systems while creating an environment to support U.S. supply chain independence and infrastructure reliability," said Madhu Chinthavali, ORNL electrical systems integration program manager.
Field testing validates a grid management platform, grid-edge technologies
One of the first technologies being validated within this field-testing site is a grid management platform built around coordinated resource "hubs," or clusters of resources that work together to meet utility needs. Developed in GRID-C and expanded over the last four years, the platform streamlines equipment energy management, communication and controls.
As consumer loads increase, controlling five hubs instead of 50 individual resources significantly reduces the computing power needed to operate the system, reducing costs while enabling more responsive localized control. The layered, automated controls increase operating efficiency while stabilizing the grid by solving power quality problems at the source before they can spread.
A utility or industrial facility can customize the hub platform to achieve specific goals, such as reducing power costs or providing consistent power flow. The technology helps the components of the energy delivery system work together at all levels. This makes it easier for residential customers to preprogram home energy use and generation, helping them save money as electricity prices fluctuate throughout the day.
"This is a big step in utilizing our own utility environment and showing real-world use of this technology," Chinthavali said. "This hub will be used for studies toward understanding grid-edge scenarios and providing control responses for increased reliability for the future grid."
The GRID-C field testing network operates at the edge of the ORNL grid, linked by a single connection so it can be isolated from the campus network and function as a self-contained microgrid. Fluctuations in voltage and power quality - which are more common at the grid edge where customers often rely on a single power feed - are hard to predict and simulate in a lab. This real-world testing will ensure that innovations benefit customers with the least reliable electricity service.
Test site supports utility adoption of innovations in the living grid
Industry partners can use ORNL's field testing capability to understand the impacts of new technologies, such as ORNL-developed power electronics. They can also evaluate their own innovations, building confidence before launching products or methods to customers in the wider grid.
For example, the ORNL grid architecture and control platform being tested now is part of a collaboration with a major utility that plans to deploy it in the company's own test facility next year.
"Although you can emulate resources in the lab, there's always the possibility of overlooking something or discovering a characteristic of the system you didn't expect," said Steven Campbell, technical lead for the GRID-C field testing expansion. "By tying into actual energy storage, local generation and the grid, you can solve those challenges before moving a technology to a utility system."
Both the research and capability expansion in GRID-C are funded by the DOE Office of Electricity. Additional ORNL researchers who contributed to creating the main campus field testing network or the hub project include Michael Starke, Ben Dean, Prasad Kandula, Namwon Kim, Macio Magri Kimpara, Rahul Mishra, Ethan Crisp, Jonathan Harter, Rafal Wojda and John Smith.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science .
