Overview: FTI Integrates Solar Microgrid To Produce Renewable Energy
EnTech Solutions™, a division of FTI, collaborated with U.S. Gain to integrate a solar microgrid at its Dallmann East River Dairy digester. The digester produces renewable natural gas (RNG) for the transportation industry. The microgrid generates and stores renewable electricity to power the digester operations, reducing the grid power and natural gas demand. This lowers the carbon intensity (CI) of the RNG, making it more sustainable and valuable.
Challenges: The Correct Mix Of Distributed Energy Assets
The value distributed energy can bring to renewable fuels is obvious, but what isn’t always clear is what the right system type and size is. Without optimizing all aspects of the analysis (CI impact, capital, increased operating expenses, reduced utility spending) it’s difficult to find a project with acceptable financials and almost impossible to find the best financials.
Solutions: Energy DNA™ Develops Optimum System Sizing, Continued Support
This is one of the first projects to use Energy DNA, FTI’s energy modeling tool, to design, install and optimize the microgrid system with a mix of renewable energy, energy storage and other assets.
Energy DNA is a tool that can create multiple iterations of potential system sizing and configuration, and determine the overall system impact on CI, capital costs and operational impacts. The extensive focus on modeling allowed the ideal configuration to be identified and realized through the engineer, procure and construct (EPC) project.
