The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) is providing critical solutions to energy and environmental issues throughout
the northern Great Plains of North America. At its core, the EERC’s culture involves research, development, demonstration, and
commercialization of innovative technologies that have real-world applications and impact our everyday lives.
The Great Plains Applied Energy Technology Center is one of the EERC’s eleven Centers of Excellence and is working toward providing
strategic solutions within the Great Plains region.
Through this program, the EERC is developing and demonstrating a dynamic system to allow consumers to be able to use 100% of their
electricity from renewable resources (Smart Grid). The EERC is also working to improve the technical and economic aspects of coal ash
management. Both projects are critical issues on a national and international level, but the EERC aims to provide applied, solutions- oriented
technologies within the Great Plains region. Tec
Smart Grid Technology Development
In response to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Program, the EERC is testing the effectiveness of using Smart Grid concepts
to promote energy use patterns that can benefit both utilities and consumers, including peak demand management and renewable (wind)
energy integration.
This project involves using a state-of-the art battery system, commonly used for intermittent power backup in emergencies, in conjunction
with wind and solar forecasting and consumer-driven decision- making tools to provide the ability to operate office buildings and
residential homes on 100% green electricity from wind and solar energy.
Benefits
The benefits of implementing Smart Grid technology include improved efficiency and reliability of energy, more customer
choice, and streamlined integration of renewables and other distributed generation. Just as valuable to the utility is the customer’s
response to choice based on real-time pricing and wind energy availability. Furthermore, such a technology will generate positive
coverage in a utility’s territory that represents a large potential for growth with wind development.
Using Smart Grid to Overcome Renewable Power Intermittency
Wind and solar energy systems have proliferated within the United States in recent years. Both the technology and economics of
these systems have improved; however, both technologies still suffer from the intermittency of their energy output. Without a method
of smoothing out their power output, it will be difficult to deploy these technologies in ever-increasing amounts onto the national grid.
Wind and solar also provide an excellent source of energy for distributed applications; however, again, their intermittency provides
challenges for their users. Smart Grid provides opportunities to better integrate cyclical renewable energy into the existing grid without
the need for expensive energy storage.
Coal Ash Utilization and Management
The EERC’s
Coal Ash Research Center is dedicated to improving the
technical and economic aspects of coal ash by-product management. Its multifaceted team of researchers takes a comprehensive approach
to solving a wide array of by-product issues from utilization to disposal.
Capabilities
- Environmental analysis
- Engineering evaluations
- Market research
- Product development
- Field demonstrations
The Coal Ash Resources Research Consortium® (CARRC®) (pronounced “cars”) is a consortium of industry and government representatives,
scientists, and engineers working together toward a common goal: to advance coal ash utilization. Specifically, CARRC works to solve coal
combustion by-product (CCB)-related problems and promote the environmentally safe, technically sound, and economically viable utilization
and disposal of these highly complex materials.
Founded in 1985, CARRC has made the following advancements in the area of coal ash utilization:
- Generation of scientific and engineering information applicable to CCB regulations and specifications.
- Development of improved CCB characterization methods.
- Demonstration of new and improved CCB use applications.
- Transfer of technical information and technology.
Coal Ash Research and CARRC