TigerGrid: An Open-Source Microgrid Design Software

Abstract

Due to the rising concerns over global warming and the consequent drastic climate changes [1], Microgrids comprising of renewable energy systems such as Photovoltaics and Wind Turbines have become more prevalent. However, there are several hindrances preventing the mass adoption and installation of renewable microgrids. Besides the large upfront cost associated with the installation of these systems and the constrained reliability of the energy supply due to the intermittency problem; the accessibility of tools for sizing these systems optimally, especially to the average person, has also become an obstacle to the mass adoption [2]. Although some proposed hybrid energy system modeling tools like RETScreen, Homer and SAM : System Advisor Model do exist, most of them either work only on the Windows Operating system, use theoretically synthesized data via proposed mathematical models or are very expensive. TigerGrid is an open-source, user-friendly hybrid Photovoltaic-wind sizing software that would provide the average person with the ability to determine how their energy demand can be served by renewable energy systems using actualized meteorological resources. Due to its open-source nature, microgrid developers all over the world could contribute to the models and algorithms utilized by the software in optimizing the size of hybrid renewable energy systems and thus, could become a very powerful, yet free microgrid modeling software. This thesis would provide an overview of the approach used to design TigerGrid and present a case study involving the use of TigerGrid in modeling a hybrid photovoltaic-wind energy system for the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University. This building has a relatively massive energy demand of 196,613 kilowatt hours per day. However, the TigerGrid auto-size optimizer would be used to customize a favorable hybrid energy system which allocates 90% of the demand to solar, 0.05% to battery and the remaining 9.95% to the backup generators in order to meet this load.