MICROGRIDS

Hydrogen | Solar | Hydroelectric | Geothermal

Microgrids as a Service (MaaS)

Microgrids are best characterized as advanced energy generating technologies that are easy to deploy, self-sustainable, and highly resilience due to their footprint and discrete geography. Because energy is a contributor to a business objective, microgrids are typically application-specific with targeted technologies that that provide efficiency to the end-user to meet requirements and benchmark. However, Microgrids as a Service (MaaS), broaden this definition to address power generation, transmission, and energy management to achieve true efficiency.

Rather than treating MaaS as a feature, MaaS addresses energy efficiency head on, by evaluating performance in the generation stage (peak output), transmission (line loss), and how it is used (wastefulness identified by ESGs). The service part of MaaS is advantageous because it is specifically concerned with how the end-user manages the energy and it provides solutions to reduce wastefulness while simultaneously increasing productivity. Therefore, Aglow's MaaS solution includes a five-point program:

1. Energy Efficiency Study.

2. End-User Power Requirement & Applicability.

3. EPC of renewable energy solution.

4. Capital Improvement of facility and/or grid correction.

5. Predictive Maintenance Programs & Local Job Generation.

STRUCTURE OF AN ELECTRIC GRID
ENERGY GENERATION | TRANSMISSION | SMART POWER DISTRIBUTION

Hydrogen Fuel Cells.
Utility-Scale Solar Panels.
Geothermal.
Hydroelectric.
Diesel Generators.
Alternative Energy Sources.

DISTRIBUTOR STATUS

Aglow Power holds distributor charter with selective electrical equipment manufacturers and DERs to curtail long parts lead-time and provide economical options to our clients. A great plan that is well financed can quickly be frustrated with budget overruns and/or extremely long lead-times on equipment and materials. Aglow's workaround strategy includes templating our solutions as much as possible and obtaining distributor status with national suppliers to secure parts quicker while leveraging scales of economy.

EPC

Together with Archipelago Engineering, we provide turnkey design, engineering, contracting, and maintenance of microgrids that meets end-user energy needs and carbon-capture benchmarks.

Development incentives currently in use include:

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Production Tax Credit (PTC).
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
Justice 40.
DER Manufacturer Programs.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Incentives.
Department of Energy (DOE) Programs.
Opportunity Zones.
Local & State Stipends (Lower 48)

Custom & Template Designs

Design options are critical to the new renewable energy economy because it addresses the HOW in the value-stream. Although micogrids is not a singular solution, it helps to think in terms of templates and types to leverage decision-making in terms of product, output, and budget range. Aglow has put together eight (08) hydrogen design types that are intuitive to conceptualize and navigate the initial feasibility study and a path to quick deployment.

INFRASTRUCTURE | SUSTAINABILITY | DEPENDABILITY | CAPITAL INVESTMENT

Combined Heat & Power (CHP) Tie-In

Design concepts focus application-driven initiatives typically relating to energy stabilization in existing factories, hospitals, production hubs, and hard to decarbonize sectors. The average physical footprint for a microgrid + CHP configuration varies from 3,000SF - 25,000SF depending on the scalability horizon of the application. CHP, also known as cogeneration, is a technology that harnesses both mechanical and thermal energy in the same process. For example: a singular hydrogen fuel cell that outputs 350kW at peak generates thermal energy in its non-combustible electrochemical process. The thermal energy is captured, or recovered, in the fuel stack and applied to some other function such as cooling/heating equipment. Boilers, compressors, vaporizers, and other industrial-specific assets benefit from the added energy source while increasing production efficiency.

INFRASTRUCTURE. Depending on the application, CHP is typically used in waste management, heat-intensive processes (e.g. chemical, metallurgy, food processing, and furnaces), and can also act as a carbon capture and storage (CCS) option.

SUSTAINABILITY. CHP are typically seen as the back-end of the energy project and sometimes are considered value-add, rather than critical. Because of its byproduct characteristics, CHPs are typically off-the-shelf, inexpensive, and easy to install. Thus, CHP technology is ubiquitous and allows the hosts to quickly retrofit equipment from various manufacturers and tap into the just-in-time supply chain.
s
DEPENDABILITY. Because of the CHPs flexibility, hosts will typically choose to match its assets with existing manufacturer brands used in the facility’s production and where the operators have familiarity with. Basically, because CHP is not new technology, maintenance programs can easily create a performance profile and cost-share replacement parts in this production process.

CAPITAL FUNDING. Most CHP are considered capital improvement projects and the incentive is to both upend productivity and reduce energy consumption. Although funding can come from EaaS firms, most CHP capital raise comes from the host’s infrastructure improvement budgets and ROIs are typically reached in two to four years.

Backup Only Energy Server

Backup Energy Servers are a solution to business continuity and disaster recovery protocols. Servers create and store energy to help regulate energy fluctuation, backup power, and supplement peak demand. Typically used in manufacturers that operate 24/7 or with high-fluctuating processes, the servers create continuity of uninterrupted power flow while avoiding unplanned downtime.

INFRASTRUCTURE. Because of its limited target characteristics, backup only servers are designed with space-constraining flexibility in mind. Field engineers will typically go onsite to study existing electrical infrastructure and play ‘tetris’ with microgrid components around space constraints and risk profiles. A Backup-Only server will typically not require too much ancillary, highly depend on existing power distribution, and energy sources can be ground mounted, suspended, rooftop position, or on its own platform.

SUSTAINABILITY. Apart from periodical testing and 24/7 monitoring of the system, these microgrid designs are mainly focused on state-of-readiness to either 100% power, peak-shave, or regulate energy consumption during peak-usage. By core characteristics, backup-only energy servers are highly reliable ancillary systems for power continuity and a hedge against expensive downtime.

DEPENDABILITY. The energy source is typically no more than 300-FT away from the facility's power distribution and its non-combustible nature increases inherent reliability. Add predictive-maintenance built-in technologies paired with standby tanks of hydrogen, and a typical 2MW rated microgrid can run the entire operation for days if necessary.

CAPITAL FUNDING. Decarbonize-incentives from corporate and public budgets typically fund these types of projects as hedge, rather than profit making. The objective with backup only servers is to improve production reliability where unplanned downtime can be catastrophic. In other words, in a production-line where downtime can exceed +$200k/hour losses, backup servers are inexpensive technology to maintain business continuity.

Small Critical Load Application Only

Critical Loads in an operation can sometimes mean one or two panelboards with a combined 350 KW load and a more nimble and economical solution to the facility's health. A small footprint with a powerful energy generating server sometimes provides constant or backup power for applications such as exhaust fans in toxic chemical processes, cooling in machine shops, emergency suppression systems, and other very specific (and limited) functions.

INFRASTRUCTURE. Different from backup only energy servers, small critical load microgrids target very specific aspects of a facility's operation where the focus is on high-profile assets, rather than the entire operation. In these scenarios, a physical footprint can range from a few hundred feet to 2,000SF using technology stacking such as hydrogen, solar, battery storage, and other.

SUSTAINABILITY. Critical loads are typically understood as minimum energy continuity in the production stream that cannot fail, but other ancillary assets can. In this case, critical loads can be refrigeration of expensive compounds, control servers housing PLCs/SCADA programs, life-safety lighting for trip-hazard requirements, and furnaces cooling equipment to avoid pressure built-ups. By protecting core assets in a facility, a microgrid solution provides a viable and easy to deploy redundancy solution that carries a 25-year life cycle.

DEPENDABILITY. A mix-use of renewable technology provides a host of dependable energy sources that make sense to the various applications. Critical load microgrids are typically placed near power distribution areas, where these regions tend to be sheltered from weather elements and protected from collision accidents. Therefore, microgrids have a high chance of achieving and maintaining its performance benchmark.

CAPITAL FUNDING. Similar to backup only energy servers, small critical loads are a hedge against catastrophic impact of unplanned downtime. However, critical loads focus on the high-profile assets instead of the entire operation, which is an economical alternative preferred by various hosts. In these cases, funding is typically secured as a combination of maintenance budget, infrastructure improvement, and typical loans.

Hospital Fuel Cell & Battery Storage

Hospitals, military bases, and other non-commercial facilities that face debilitating power surges, unreliable local grid, and mission critical power continuity typically use a three-prong redundancy power portfolio:
1. Traditional Grid Tie-In.
2. Backup Power Generation.
3. Battery Storage for Critical Loads.

A combination of three energy sources allows these high foot-traffic facilities to meet reliability benchmarks while increasing resiliency against environmental and power surge challenges.

INFRASTRUCTURE. Depending on the application, a stacked energy provision can act as its own power plant and transmission hub or be as nimble as a critical load microgrid. The infrastructure requirement for stacked microgrids is typically higher than most options because it usually targets broad capital improvement requirements under mandates and/or regulatory benchmarks. The average stacked microgrid uses 5MW of energy producing sources, another 2MW battery storage, sporadic solar, and also tied-in with the existing grid. Furthermore, these microgrid models are typically not centralized in one location, but rather spread across multiple sites and are interconnected by medium-voltage networks.

SUSTAINABILITY. Not having a centralized energy source allows for additional redundancy within configuration space while seamlessly tie-in with existing campus infrastructure. With an average 25-year asset life-cycle, stacked microgrids offer the practicality of an energy platform that can scale up-and-down as demand fluctuates. Provided that a robust energy management study is performed, a stacked microgrid always provides the energy output to the asset types in the campus.

DEPENDABILITY. Medium-voltage transmission is primarily used underground and in regions where volatile weather patterns can result in turbulent winds, flooding, and even fires, the entire power grid is underground and inherently protected. This characteristic provides uninterrupted power transmission and owners can primarily focus on other risk profiles of their campuses.

CAPITAL FUNDING. Commonly financed by EaaS, state/federal agencies, or partnerships between municipalities for their power transmission. Battery storages serve as peak shaving for transmissions, renewables enjoy tax breaks, stipends, and selective subsidies while the remaining lion-share of funds are secured through private lending. Venture capital and private equity firms can explore buy-lease back agreements, mortgage-back securities, or even equity in wholesale energy agreements over long time-periods.

Warehouse/Data Center Power Plant

Warehouses, Data Centers, Manufacturers, Cold Storage, and other hosts with sensitive assets are requiring future-proof design in commercial real estate sectors. By providing consulting and simulations of how landlords and leases can leverage a plug-and-play electrical design allows investors to capture Energy as a Service (EaaS) or value-add to their portfolio.

INFRASTRUCTURE. If a ground-up facility considers a renewable energy future-proof option, the infrastructure required is just earmarking a location and a path of interconnection. Most of the ground-up site work already absorbs the bulk of the microgrids footprint and the electrical distribution can be easily tweaked to make it compatible with tie-in requirements.

SUSTAINABILITY. Independence from the grid allows for faster permit approvals, business continuity is built-in the bones of the building, and microgrids typically value-adds to NNN-lease facilities where potential tenants require ISO-9001 certification for their operations. Furthermore, decarbonized energy sources qualify for LEED accreditation and energy independency drives down operational costs, which plays a major role in OpEx considerations.

DEPENDABILITY. Short transmission lines that run underground provide a hedge against environmental challenges where business continuity is critical to the business model. Hydrogen Fuel Cells, for example, use water and natural gas as catalysts in its non-combustible electrochemical process to generate electricity. The abundance of these two elements allows a hydrogen fuel cells

CAPITAL FUNDING. CRE developers and EaaS have a vast interest in becoming owner/operators of microgrids because of the value-add it gives to the tenants or it may provide energy independence to the owner's own operation. Because microgrids are ‘off-the-shelf’ assets, 90% or more of site work for renewables can be folded into the building’s site work budget. Furthermore, state/federal subsidies would only require an investment sidecar of an average $12M for a 5MW hydrogen microgrid before tax and benefits. Other economical options also include energy-focus funds, purchase agreements, and/or tolling for wholesale energy agreement to local municipalities.

How Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Work

Feedstock

Electrolysis provides clean hydrogen gas (H2) to be fed into the catalyst

Chemical Reaction

Combination of hydrogen and oxygen through non-combustion catalyst.

Thermal Energy

Hydrogen molecules split into protons and electrons at the anodes.

Electrical Energy

Electrons flow through an external circuit creating DC energy, and pass through an inverter for AC electricity at 480V.

MICROGRIDS

Microgrids as a Service (MaaS)

STRUCTURE OF AN ELECTRIC GRID
ENERGY GENERATION | TRANSMISSION | SMART POWER DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTOR STATUS

EPC

Custom & Template Designs

INFRASTRUCTURE | SUSTAINABILITY | DEPENDABILITY | CAPITAL INVESTMENT

How Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Work

Feedstock

Chemical Reaction

Thermal Energy

Electrical Energy

SERVICES

CARBON SEQUESTRATION & CARBON CAPTURE SYSTEMS (CCS)

Engineering & Contracting

English, Spanish, and Portuguese

Energy Efficiency Solutions

Microgrid as a Service

Community Impact

MICROGRIDS

Microgrids as a Service (MaaS)

STRUCTURE OF AN ELECTRIC GRID ENERGY GENERATION | TRANSMISSION | SMART POWER DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTOR STATUS

EPC

Custom & Template Designs

INFRASTRUCTURE | SUSTAINABILITY | DEPENDABILITY | CAPITAL INVESTMENT

How Hydrogen Fuel Cells Work

Feedstock

Chemical Reaction

Thermal Energy

Electrical Energy

SERVICES

CARBON SEQUESTRATION & CARBON CAPTURE SYSTEMS (CCS)

Engineering & Contracting

English, Spanish, and Portuguese

Energy Efficiency Solutions

Microgrid as a Service

Community Impact

STRUCTURE OF AN ELECTRIC GRID
ENERGY GENERATION | TRANSMISSION | SMART POWER DISTRIBUTION

How Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Work