Fairbanks Morse, an EnPro Industries company, has delivered its PoweReliability-as-a-Service platform to a Fortune 500 company in Puerto Rico. The installation provides a dual-fuel combined heat and power microgrid with approximately 10 MW of capacity. The microgrid will include software and condition-based maintenance support so power generation can be monitored in real time to deliver on specified fuel and reliability guarantees. As an open platform, it can be customized to include the additional integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) including renewable baseloads like solar, wind or energy storage in the future.
“We’ve spent a lot of time on the ground with the people of Puerto Rico and I’ve been moved by their overwhelming resiliency and sense of hope,” said David Santamaria, Fairbanks Morse vice president of services and support. “Access to reliable power is critical for individuals, communities, and businesses, but the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma has shown that new distributed energy strategies need to be implemented that complement – and in many cases even replace – the traditional grid infrastructure. We believe that PoweReliability-as-a-Service can be very impactful to the recovery of areas across the Caribbean and strengthen them against future power outages.”
Nine of the 12 most expensive storms in U.S. history happened in the last three years and decentralized generation, independent power production, and microgrids are seen as the enablers needed to drive reliable power in the new energy economy. As a result, Navigant Research estimates that annual distributed generation capacity additions will outpace centralized generation three-fold by 2024.
“Independent power producers and commercial and industrial businesses can integrate reciprocating engines with the DERs of their choosing to operate as a fully independent microgrid or, where available, participate in ancillary market services to sell power back to the grid,” said Adam Forni, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “This type of solution is a growing trend and can aid in the recovery of power in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma and help protect businesses and communities against future power outages.”
For more information on the PoweReliability-as-a-Service platform, download Navigant’s “Disruptive Generation” whitepaper report.
This article was written by Kathie Zipp for Solar Power World. View the original article here.
FM | About
For over 125 years, Fairbanks Morse has been powering the world forward with innovative distributed power generation solutions that deliver optimal performance in a wide range of applications from base load and standby in municipal, nuclear, and institutional facilities to locomotive engines, and naval and commercial-class ship propulsion and shipboard power. Reliable and dependable, their flagship Opposed Piston (OP) engine technology has been trusted for decades and has totaled over 100 million operating hours – many units with over 40 years of service. Learn more about how Fairbanks Morse is committed to delivering power where it is needed most in the world by visiting www.fairbanksmorse.com.
About EnPro Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPO)
EnPro Industries, Inc. is a leader in sealing products, metal polymer and filament wound bearings, components and service for reciprocating compressors, diesel and dual-fuel engines
and other engineered products for use in critical applications by industries worldwide. For more information about EnPro, visit www.enproindustries.com.