Wayne State electrical engineering professor receives award for microgrid research paper

dongfushan-gridCaisheng Wang, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Wayne State University, and his collaborators at the Zhejiang Electric Power Corporation Research Institute (ZEPCRI) were among the recipients of the 2015 Applied Energy Awards, which recognize highly cited research and review papers published in the Applied Energy journal between 2013 and 2014. Their paper, "Optimal sizing, operating strategy and operational experience of a standalone microgrid on Dongfushan Island," together with other awarded papers, represent two percent of the more than 2,000 papers published by the journal in that time span.

Microgrids are localized energy transmission systems that can disconnect from the traditional power grid to operate autonomously. They are meant to ensure local, reliable and affordable energy solutions for urban and rural communities while serving to lower emissions, improve efficiency and integrate with renewable energy resources.

Wang and his colleagues presented an optimal unit-sizing method for standalone microgrids, applying their method to the design and development of a real microgrid system on Dongfushan Island in the Zhejiang Province of China. This system consists of wind turbine generators, solar panels, diesel generators and battery storage units.

Dongfushan Island is the farthest eastern inhabited island in China. In order to improve the quality of life for the island's residents, the Dongfushan Microgrid Project was started in September 2010 and completed in April 2011. The project was designed to improve power delivery quality and reduce the reliance on diesel engine generators for electrical power. It also supplies fresh water via a seawater desalination system.

Authors of the papers that received these awards were invited to the International Conference on Applied Energy in Beijing this past October.

Applied Energy, a journal published by Elsevier, provides a forum for information on innovation, research, development and demonstration in the areas of energy conversion and conservation, the optimal use of energy resources, analysis and optimization of energy processes, mitigation of environmental pollutants, and sustainable energy systems.

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