Unique microgrid project to power Minnesota winery
Midwest Energy News, October 23, 2015. Image credit: Winehaven Winery
Located around 35 miles north of St. Paul in Chisago City, the St. Thomas School of Engineering has been working with WineHaven on a unique collaboration to create a microgrid using solar and wind on the its grounds.
St. Thomas received a $2.1 million grant from Xcel Energy’s Renewable Development Fund to build a microgrid research and testing facility to showcase how distributed energy can be used effectively, Weinkauf said.
The plan calls for:
- Roughly 200 solar panels covering an area the size of a football field, rated at 50 to 60 kilowatts of capacity.
- A 100 foot high wind turbine with retractable components that allow it to be raised and lowered depending on wind volume.
- Two diesel generators.
- Battery storage space.
- Room for additional elements, such as fuel cells or other emerging microgrid technologies.