Development and Demonstration of Distributed Biomass CHP Microgrid Systems
All Power Labs, Inc.
Recipient
Berkeley, CA
Recipient Location
7th
Senate District
14th
Assembly District
$3,039,391
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
The project was completed in 2024. The project team developed and deployed three iterations of its containerized biomass microgrid and operated them for over 700 hours of testing. The sites included public and private customers including local governments, forestry agencies, and wood processors. The testing including on- and off-grid integration with other renewables and microgrids, regular use versus emergency (public safety power shutoff events, emergency responses).
Overall the combined heat and power production was 56.1 percent overall efficiency with 1.48 kilograms per hour (kg/hr) of char production at 8.99 kW, and 67.9 percent efficiency for conversion of producer gas to net electricity and heat. Calorimetry testing of the as-delivered walnut shells indicated that the high heating value was 20.127 megajoules per kilogram (MJ/kg) and walnut shell biochar was 27.8 MJ/kg. Using the 15.4 kg/hr feedstock rate, this would equate to 85.9 kW of available energy. Overall, the project team was successful in creating an updated PP30 system, integrating this into the CBM product, and developing the derived Charpallet technology.
The Issue
California continues to experience the impacts of climate change with worsening wildfires, tree mortality, and droughts. Microgrids that can provide reliability and resilience, while also increasing the share of renewable generation, will be critical to help overcome these challenges. The integration of biomass generators into a standardized and scalable microgrid has not been accomplished, leaving a technological gap around the physical and control architecture required to carry out such a project, while also leaving a dearth of knowledge about the relevant regulatory landscape under which such projects must be implemented.
Project Innovation
All Power Labs will develop a novel dispatchable multi-model microgrid utilizing the CHP PP30 Power Pallet to address grid resilience, wildfire mitigation, and disaster relief using woody biomass such as woodchips. The design allows the addition of microgrid containers to increase capacity and match loads to the specific application. Each microgrid container will be sized to 50 kW of power generation and will consist of two PP30 Power Pallets, one L00120 Energy Port Battery System, two Oztek RS40 bi-directional inverters, and an Ageto Microgrid Control System. The containerized microgrid will be grid connected, offsetting grid electricity during operating hours. In the event that the grid goes down, the microgrid will be able to island as a single controllable entity under the command of the microgrid controller, which will isolate the containers from the grid and provide renewable backup power. The project will standardize a small-scale, highly scalable, low-cost microgrid configuration that will address the specific needs of disadvantaged communities and demonstrate the configuration's commercial viability and replicability.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
This Agreement will build upon the successful CEC-funded development of an innovative biomass combined cooling heat and power (CCHP) PP30 system. The proposed work will develop a multi-modal, dispatchable DER microgrid solution that is modular and scalable. Specific advancements include improving system's capacity by expanding feedstock flexibility, reducing operator interactions for startup and shutdown, improving ease of utility interconnection, provision of power by integrating inverter and battery technologies into a containerized system, and achieving UL compliance. The current generation PP30 will be upgraded to a PP30 v3.0 release and utilized in a Containerized Biomass Microgrid Pilot unit. The system will deliver electricity and heat. It will also deliver biochar, which can be sequestered in agricultural soils.
Environmental Sustainability
This waste-to-energy containerized microgrid uses woody biomass feedstocks such as woodchips, walnut shells, and palm kernal shells. This biomass gasifier produces biochar that can be used as a soil amendment that sequesters carbon. This project includes assessment of biochar produced in standalone mode and through extended equipment operation run time to collect performance test data.
Subrecipients
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
Blue Sky Environmental, Inc.
Match Partners
All Power Labs, Inc.
SymSoil
