XENDEE and Idaho National Laboratory Partner on Microgrid Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Stations

SAN DIEGO--()--XENDEE Corporation has partnered with Idaho National Laboratory to develop an optimized platform for designing Microgrid Fast Charging Stations (MFCS) quickly and effectively. This project is funded by the DOE Office of Electricity, Microgrid Program. The platform will be developed alongside a detailed analysis of two test sites which will act as seed locations for fast-charging facilities across the United States.

Additionally, with the use of distributed energy technologies, these Microgrid Fast Charging Stations can enable a deeper market penetration of private electric and commercial vehicles by allowing for the optimal placement of stations even in remote areas unserved by a traditional utility provider. In areas where a provider does exist, an optimized MFCS can help reduce distribution grid disturbances and costs for the entire energy market by supplementing the immense energy required for ultra-fast charging vehicles during peak hours, or by eliminating the need for upgrades to transmission lines.

“In each of our test sites, we will be addressing both a grid connected and an islanded MFCS design solution. This can also be expanded for further use cases such as multiple fast charging stations or large stations that allow for fast charging of Heavy Equipment Transporters,” said Michael Stadler, Ph.D., CTO of XENDEE. “This proof of concept will also enable XENDEE and Idaho National Labs (INL) to provide a streamlined, reliable, and standardized approach to the design and implementation of Microgrid enabled fast charging infrastructure throughout the world.” Success of the test cases performed within this project will ultimately enable a reliable electric vehicle fast-charging solution that could be implemented worldwide based primarily on renewables and battery storage.

Each test site will be developed using XENDEE’s end-to-end Microgrid design and optimization platform as well as Idaho National Laboratory’s Power & Energy Real-Time Lab. XENDEE researchers and engineers will design the Microgrid Fast Charging Stations, including the sizing and placement of Distributed Energy Resources technologies, techno-economic optimization, and power flow analysis to assure voltages can be sustained at every node. Optimizations can be extended from simply relieving congestion at charging sites to optimizing upgrades, energy resilience, and even selling voltage or frequency regulation back to the grid.

Once a design has been created, the XENDEE MFCS model will be validated using Hardware-in-the-Loop simulations of the dynamics and operation on the distribution system at Idaho National Laboratory's Power & Energy Real-time Lab. This simulated loop will evaluate XENDEE’s Microgrid model using actual control components under the most vigorous testing conditions without constructing a completed fast charging station.

“INL is enthusiastic about using its Controller Hardware in the Loop capabilities to simulate XENDEE’s test cases for Microgrid Fast Charging Stations,” said Anudeep Medam, Research Engineer at INL’s Power & Energy Systems department. “This setup is as close to the real world as possible, allowing us to scale up or down the power level and analyze Microgrid Fast Charging Stations under multiple scenarios for capacity and service provisions.”

This will be the first simulation of our MFCS designs by a national laboratory,” remarked Adib Naslé, CEO of XENDEE, “and we are pleased to be doing it with INL.”

About XENDEE: XENDEE develops world-class Microgrid decision support software that helps designers and investors optimize and certify the Fight-Through™ resilience and financial performance of projects with confidence. The XENDEE Microgrid platform enables a broad audience, from business decision makers to scientists, with the objective of supporting investments in Microgrids and maintaining electric power reliability when integrating sources of renewable generation.

About Idaho National Laboratory: INL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory that performs work in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and environment. INL is the nation’s center for nuclear energy research and development. Day-to-day management and operation of the laboratory is the responsibility of Battelle Energy Alliance.

See more INL news at: www.inl.gov

Follow us on social media at: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn

Contacts

Jay Gadbois
press@xendee.com

Release Summary

XENDEE Corporation has partnered with Idaho National Laboratory to develop an optimized platform for designing Microgrid Fast Charging Stations.

Social Media Profiles

Contacts

Jay Gadbois
press@xendee.com