As the Grid Gets Cleaner, Will Microgrids Lower Emissions in New York?

Abstract

In New York, severe storms such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012, have knocked out power to large areas, raising interest in building microgrids, which provide resiliency. The state has set a goal to produce 50% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2030, and reduce GHG emissions by 40%, also by 2030. As the electric grid adds renewable resources, how will a microgrid need to be designed to help reduce emissions? In this study, electric and thermal demands were simulated using DOE’s Commercial Reference Buildings and eQuest for five buildings in Westchester County, New York. The bi-level optimization software HOMER Pro was used to design a microgrid using Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and then simulate hourly performance over 13 years, to 2030. Electricity emission factors for CO¬2 increase in a CHP microgrid scenario versus a baseline, with no CHP microgrid. A sensitivity analysis shows that the price for electricity that the microgrid receives from the grid affects the way the microgrid operates, with higher prices causing higher emissions factors.