Smart Grid
BCIT has received funding from BC’s Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund and sponsorship from BC Hydro to set up BC’s first intelligent electricity microgrid system within the Burnaby Campus.
This new research project, led by the Group for Advanced Information Technology (GAIT) at the BCIT Technology Centre, focuses on developing solutions to automate the current electrical power grid of utilities and build a smarter, more secure power grid. An intelligent grid will allow power devices to communicate through a central system, making “smart” decisions to optimize power distribution and transmission.
An intelligent grid will help to balance power generation with demand, reducing the potential for blackouts. It will also be able to integrate current energy sources such as hydro or natural gas with alternative energy sources such as biomass, solar, and wind plants.
The project will contribute to research and development of energy sector technologies that will tell us when the cheapest or cleanest power is available. This will allow us to change our household energy consumption patterns to reduce our costs and our carbon footprint.
- For more information on the Intelligent Micro Grid project, please visit the project website.
- For more information on BCIT’s Smart Grid initiative, please contact Dr. Hassan Farhangi, Director, Group for Advanced Information Technology.
- NSMG-Net: NSERC Smart Microgrid Network: The NSERC Smart Microgrid Network is a research partnership of Canadian universities, government and industry. Our multi-disciplinary researchers are developing the technologies, identifying the regulations and training the skills required for Canada’s future electricity grid. This research will be done using BCIT's Intelligent Microgrid.