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SEL Engineering Services recently installed a microgrid control system at Montclair State University that is estimated to save the New Jersey college over $4 million per year. The system, which runs in tandem with the university’s 5.4 MW heating, cooling, and power production plant, is designed to reduce emissions and ensure energy-efficient delivery of steam for heating, chilled water for air conditioning, and natural gas for electricity.

In the event of a power disturbance, the SEL microgrid control system can respond within milliseconds, islanding the university from the utility, maintaining voltage and frequency, and shedding the lowest priority loads while keeping most of the campus up and running. Commands are sent to generation units to spin up, and once campus generation is online, the remainder of the campus is energized. When the utility is back up and running, the system can then seamlessly reconnect to the utility grid. 

Montclair State University now has a system that ensures uninterrupted energy delivery to all key university assets. Redundancy, reliability, seamless transition, and the ability to blend multiple sources of power generation have all contributed to making this SEL microgrid system the best solution for the university.

Read more about the Montclair State University project and more about SEL microgrid solutions on the SEL website.