Building has begun for the TotalEnergies and Schneider Electrical photo voltaic microgrid system with a 2 MW photovoltaic (PV) array and a 1.25 MW battery power storage system. As soon as development is full, the microgrid can be built-in into the brand new Rockwell/Allen Bradley distributed management system (DCS) at Aemetis Inc.’s Aemetis Superior Fuels biorefinery in Keyes, Calif.
The photo voltaic array generates roughly 3.2 million kWh per 12 months. The foundations of the photo voltaic array are actually being constructed, with the undertaking anticipated to be accomplished within the second quarter of 2023. TotalEnergies serves because the undertaking’s PV provider in addition to the engineering, procurement and development (EPC) contractor.
“The microgrid creates energy stability and helps with off peak load shedding and energy efficiency,” stated Eric McAfee, chairman and CEO of Aemetis. “This microgrid, together with different energy-saving applied sciences applied in our low-carbon ethanol facility, will considerably scale back the carbon depth footprint of the produced gasoline ethanol. Aemetis may also exchange pure fuel with carbon adverse renewable pure fuel (RNG) upgraded and injected on the similar facility in Keyes, Calif.
The AI-enabled management system will run on virtualized servers, decreasing the quantity of laptop {hardware} by 80%, requiring much less energy to function than conventional methods. Digital methods don’t require {hardware} adjustments to improve out of date working methods or safety adjustments. The digital atmosphere additionally helps scale back deliberate and unplanned down time.
The $12 million solar microgrid, battery backup and AI-enabled power system is supported by an $8 million grant awarded to Aemetis by the California Vitality Fee.
