new mexico epscor smart grid center
The current National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Track 1 project in New Mexico establishes a novel, interdisciplinary research center—the NM SMART Grid Center—which is pursuing next-generation electric power production and delivery through creation of a SMART electric grid (one that is Sustainable, Modular, Adaptive, Resilient, and Transactive).
The New Mexico SMART Grid Center mission is to investigate the fundamental challenges to transition the existing electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure into a SMART grid and develop supporting knowledge, national talent, and an informed public. The New Mexico SMART Grid Center will develop research capacity and education programs to support a modern electric grid built on the principles of distribution feeder microgrids (DFMs), and empower a diverse, next-generation workforce through industry partnerships, education, and public outreach.
For more information on the history of NM EPSCoR NSF funding and research areas, please view the NM EPSCoR historical timeline.
Research Areas
Research goal: Create a comprehensive design framework for electricity system distribution feeders to evolve into sustainable and resilient microgrids.
Disciplines involved: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Economics
Team leads: Olga Lavrova (NMSU), Ali Bidram (UNM)
Institutions: University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Microgrid Systems Laboratory
Research goal: Design a holistic, scalable Distribution Feeder Microgrid (DFM) networking architecture based on the principles of information-centric networking, which will complement the DFM architecture from the Architecture Research Goal.
Disciplines involved: Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Team leads: Jay Misra (NMSU), Jun Zheng (NM Tech), Michael Devetsikiotis (UNM)
Institutions: University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Sandia National Laboratories
Research goal: Integrate machine learning, data mining, knowledge-based, and other artificial intelligence techniques to utilize heterogeneous Distribution Feeder Microgrid and smart grid data to make computer-aided and automatic decisions.
Disciplines involved: Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering
Team leads: Huiping Cao (NMSU), Enrico Pontelli (NMSU), Abdullah Mueen (UNM), Manel Martínez-Ramón (UNM)
Institutions: University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, Sandia National Laboratories
Research goal: Integrate architecture, networking, and decision-support components of the Distribution Feeder Microgrid to test and validate their impacts on electricity system resilience and sustainability.
Our Testbeds:
- Mesa del Sol
- Southwest Technology Development Institute
- Santa Fe Community College
Disciplines involved: Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Economics
Team leads: Ali Bidram (UNM), Enrico Pontelli (NMSU), Jun Zheng (NM Tech)
Institutions: University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Microgrid Systems Laboratory
Goal: Provide sufficient computing and storage/preservation capacity to support NM SMART Grid Center research.
Investments at New Mexico State University (NMSU) include: a High Performance Computing (HPC) system with 4 P100-G12 GPU nodes for computing, 2 high memory nodes (3 TB RAM) for data analysis, 110 TBs for fast storage, and 500 TBs for slower storage. NM SMART Center participants have priority access to HPC cyberinfrastructure resources.
Investments at UNM include 80 TBs/VM for mirroring and storing frequently-used data, and long-term data management support through LibSafe, Digital Preservation Network, and Digital Commons.
Team Leads:
Diana Dugas (NMSU), Patrick Bridges (UNM), Karl Benedict (UNM), Jon Wheeler (UNM)
testbeds
Mesa Del Sol
Operated by the University of New Mexico (UNM) Center for Emerging Energy Technologies (CEET), Mesa del Sol is a fully functioning microgrid that uses on-site solar, fuel cell, natural gas, and back-up battery storage to power the 78,000 square foot Aperture Center. The adjacent area includes PNM’s utility-scale Prosperity Energy Storage Project, along with a number of smart-metered residential buildings and a film production studio with commercial loads.
Southwest Technology Development Institute
The Southwest Technology Development Institute (SWTDI) is a non-profit organization based at New Mexico State University (NMSU) that provides training and contract engineering services for systems analysis, hardware development and evaluation, feasibility studies, computer modeling, and informational kiosks. SWTDI is an internationally-recognized applied research and development center for solar and wind energy systems, geothermal research, energy systems simulation, resource assessment, and environmental analysis, and performs contract engineering for a wide variety of private and public sector clients.
Santa Fe Community College
SFCC has two training and research installations fully funded and ready for implementation, plus a third planned installation. The testing and validation facilities will be capable of rigorous testing of microgrid components, modules, sub-systems, and complete systems under varying climate and environment conditions.
