WorleyParsons, the global professional services firm for the energy sector, is set to install an entirely Direct Current (DC) microgrid system at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario Canada. This project, which is said to be the first of its kind for university research settings, will be Installed in collaboration with ARDA Power.
The microgrid will provide the university with power resiliency, will reduce electricity costs and will enable new cutting-edge research at the university. For example, the microgrid system will be pivotal in the university’s research into electric vehicle (EV) charging.
The microgrid will couple energy supplied by the grid and rooftop solar power with a lithium-ion battery and DC loads. The University of Toronto laboratory will use the microgrid system to develop and test new energy management software for various approaches to EV charging.
“This project is the first of its’ kind in the university research setting and is attributable to the vision of the University of Toronto and the unique microgrid technology provided for the project by ARDA Power,” saysMichael Cantin, Vice President of Operations, WorleyParsons. “For WorleyParsons, this contract adds to our list of projects in the renewable energy space which are helping our customers to meet the world’s changing resource and energy needs."
Tristan Jackson, director of Smart & Distributed Energy for WorleyParsons says, “DC microgrid technology holds great promise for simplifying microgrid design and the related interconnection process, and for improving efficiency by eliminating redundant AC/DC conversions. The Direct Current approach to microgrids can save significant costs on equipment, installation, interconnection to the grid, and operations. We anticipate many more such projects in the near future. Two areas where we see the greatest potential for these systems to bring disruptive value are electric vehicle charging and indoor agriculture.”
Aleksey Toporkov, president of ARDA Power, says, “We are pleased to further our collaboration with WorleyParsons on this unique DC microgrid project and look forward to delivering a system to the University of Toronto that will help further their research into cutting edge electric vehicle charging technology.”
The engineering and procurement phases are underway, and the construction phase is set to begin in July 2019, with project completion expected by the end of December 2019.
