Quote:
What's Up with Michigan Tech's Power Backup
Submitted by Dave Taivalkoski, energy manager
With Wednesday's six-hour electrical outage fresh on our minds, it seems like a good time to bring the campus up to speed about the installation of our generators near the Central Heating Plant. Hopefully you can use this information in your planning for future backup power requirements.
Currently four 2,250-kilowatt biodiesel generators are being installed in a new building adjacent to the Central Heating Plant. The 9,000 kilowatts will be adequate to handle the entire campus, which is currently peaking at about 7,000 kilowatts. The plant is scheduled to become operational on Jan. 1.
The generators will allow Michigan Tech to buy power at UPPCO's interruptible contract rates, which should reduce our electrical costs by about $450,000 to $500,000 per year. When we are notified by UPPCO, the units will step in for the utility and reduce the university's demand on the electrical system to zero. These operations will be seamless for the campus.
These generators will also be useful during power outages such as the one we experienced last week. Under normal conditions, the generators can provide power to the campus within three to 10 minutes. Once we become operational in January, we will have a better handle on how long this process will take.
We have not settled on how long to delay starting up the generators. Typically such systems use a two-to-five minute delay to avoid frequent starts from short-term power outages. We are considering a one-minute delay for planning purposes. We may also wish to prepare when conditions have the potential to affect the grid or power supply. For example, if a strong electrical storm is moving through the area, it may be prudent to start the units ahead of time and then isolate ourselves from UPPCO.
In any event, once the generators are started and supplying power to the campus, the transition back to utility power will be uninterrupted.
In summary, you could incorporate the following into your planning:
* Campus backup power is scheduled to be available starting Jan. 1.
* Campus power will be restored within three to 10 minutes after an outage.
* The transition back to utility power will be seamless.
If you have any thoughts about operational protocols or factors that are relevant to your operation that we should keep in mind, please contact me at
[email protected][/quote