TotalEnergies and Schneider Electric have begun construction of a 2-MW solar microgrid system with a 1.25-MW battery energy storage system in California. Once construction is complete, the solar microgrid will be integrated into the new Rockwell/Allen Bradley distributed control system (DCS) at natural gas producer Aemetis’ Advanced Fuels biorefinery in Keyes.
The foundations of the solar array are now being built, with the project expected to be completed in Q2 2023. TotalEnergies serves as the project’s PV supplier as well as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.
“The microgrid creates energy stability and helps with off-peak load shedding and energy efficiency,” said Eric McAfee, chairman and CEO of Aemetis. “This microgrid, along with other energy-saving technologies implemented in our low-carbon ethanol facility, will significantly reduce the carbon intensity footprint of the ethanol fuel produced.”
The AI-enabled control system will run on virtualized servers, reducing the amount of computer hardware by 80%, requiring less power to operate than traditional systems. A virtual environment also helps reduce planned and unplanned downtime.
News item from Aemetis
