PNNL's new Systems Engineering Building arms researchers and industry to tackle top energy challenges with a unique suite of capabilities, including power grid and buildings control rooms, specialized laboratories, real-time grid data and access to advanced computation.
In the 1st industry use of the SEB, industry partner IncSys conducts training for power grid operators in one of the facility's control rooms that mirror industry conditions.
one of one
RICHLAND, Wash. - With the opening this week of the Systems Engineering Building at the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab, a new suite of capabilities becomes accessible to researchers and industry to tackle the nation's top challenges in grid modernization, buildings efficiency and renewable energy integration.
The LEED Gold-certified facility houses power grid and buildings control rooms, testing platforms and a number of labs to address a broad range of energy challenges. The facility also features the latest in industry software and real-time grid bdata with access to advanced computational capabilities that allow researchers to design, test and evaluate tools and concepts in a setting that mirrors current industry conditions.
"By linking SEB's new, high-speed data streams with PNNL's high-performance computing capabilities, we can see the grid as never before, enabling enhancements to today's tools as well as completely new, predictive capabilities," said Steven Ashby, PNNL Lab director. "The SEB enables researchers to work side-by-side with industry to accelerate these advancements, which are critical to achieving DOE's vision of a reliable, secure and sustainable power system."
The building is being dedicated on August 19 by Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, deputy secretary of energy; Patty Murray, U.S. Senator (D-WA); Dan Newhouse, U.S. Representative (R-WA); and other key industry partners and stakeholders. A recorded webcast of the dedication, overview video and other resources can be found on the SEB dedication page.
Multitude of resources under one roof
Through the SEB, PNNL is expanding its Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center to include 2 power grid control rooms that can be configured to accommodate a variety of industry testing needs and scenarios.
As one of the 1st industry partners to use the new facility, IncSys CEO Robin Podmore was impressed with its capabilities. "We train grid operators from around the world, such as those in Brazil before the World Cup," Podmore said. "PNNL's new facility provides the capabilities and training environment industry has been waiting for. It is the best mock control room facility for training and human performance evaluation I have seen in the world."
The facility also houses PNNL's Building Operations Control Center to better integrate grid and buildings research, for example designing and testing new buildings control strategies that would increase energy efficiency while reducing strain on the grid.
"With the new capabilities at SEB, we've turned PNNL's campus into a grid-buildings testbed to investigate how we can turn buildings and other traditional energy-consuming devices into valuable resources for the power system," said Carl Imhoff, manager of PNNL's Electricity Infrastructure programs. "Transforming buildings into responsive, two-way assets holds tremendous potential to increase grid reliability and control as well as integrate renewable energy."
Key to this effort is the use of PNNL's Volttron™, which enables appliances and other devices to communicate among each other to prioritize power needs and deliver electricity accordingly. The technology is open source and publicly available, an approach PNNL pursues whenever possible as a means to speed development and industry adoption. Another example is PNNL's GridLAB-D™, a first-of-its-kind analysis and simulation tool that enables users to see - in extremely high resolution - how making changes to one part of the grid, such as incorporating more wind power, affects other parts of the system.
SEB also houses the Power Electronics Laboratory, which provides dedicated lab space for PNNL's electric vehicle charging, energy storage and controls research. The adjacent outdoor pad provides space to connect to even larger assets, such as utility-scale energy storage units and commercial-grade roof top air conditioners.
Researchers and industry are now better equipped to tackle the nation's most pressing energy challenges through PNNL's new Systems Engineering Building - a new Lab designed to tackle the nation's top challenges in grid modernization, buildings efficiency and renewable energy integration. This lab links real-time grid data, software platforms, specialized labs and advanced computing resources for the design and demonstration of new tools to modernize the grid and increase buildings energy efficiency.
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,300 staff and has an yearly budget of in excess of $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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