Under the hood of one of the most unique microgrids in the U.S.

The Bronzeville Community Microgrid is one of the country's first neighborhood-scale community microgrids, providing enhanced resiliency to around 1,000 customers. But more importantly, it could serve as a launching point for microgrid deployment. (Courtesy: ComEd)

Chicago’s south side is now home to one of the most unique microgrid projects in the U.S.

For one, the Bronzeville Community Microgrid is one of the country’s first neighborhood-scale community microgrids, providing enhanced resiliency to around 1,000 customers. But more importantly, it could serve as a launching point for microgrid deployment.

The project is powered by 750 kW of solar generation from the rooftop and ground-mounted solar installations at the public housing development, Dearborn Homes, plus 500kW/2 MWh of battery energy storage. The solar system will generate about 10% of the annual electrical usage across 17 buildings, which are home to 660 families.

Here’s where it gets interesting: Next year, the Bronzeville microgrid will be connected to a utility-scale microgrid at the nearby Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) to create one of the nation’s first utility-operated microgrid clusters, enabling a sharing of resources and enhanced resilience to grid disturbances.

“This will be the first opportunity to study the interaction between a utility-scale microgrid and a customer microgrid working together,” said Dr. Mohammad Shahidehpour, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at IIT. “There is lots to learn about how to maximize the value of the interaction.”

ComEd and Chicago community leaders “flip the switch” on the Bronzeville community microgrid on Chicago’s south side. (Courtesy: ComEd)

Taken as a whole, the Bronzeville microgrid addresses decarbonization, equity, and resilience, while serving as a test bed for operating and optimizing clustered microgrids.

The project was supported in part by grants awarded by the Department of Energy. Siemens USA provided the software used to operate the microgrid management system that integrates distributed energy resources and manages the islanding process. The software will also be used to cluster the Bronzeville and IIT microgrids.

The Bronzeville microgrid is the backbone of ComEd’s Community of the Future Program, which leverages smart grid technology to enhance quality of life, supporting lab testing and field deployment of emerging technologies to support Bronzeville’s sustainability and clean energy goals. Pilot projects include off-grid wind and solar LED streetlights, multi-unit dwelling public EV chargers, and an indoor Agriculture Pod with advanced sensors. The microgrid has also inspired educational opportunities for area youth, such as the “Create a Spark” STEM Program in which students collaborate with ComEd mentors to explore engineering and energy concepts.

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