Capacity Building and Partnerships
The Microgrid Research Team is building partnerships with Governmental Institutions (e.g. EDENORTE, EDESUR), Professional Associations (e.g. IEEE) and Researchers from the region ((Universidad de Puerto Rico Mayaguez (UPRM), Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR)) to not only enhance capacity building, but also bring research findings alive in the real world through the implementation of the tools and techniques being used and developed.
Capacity building is one of the key enablers of economic development and with this purpose the research aims to foster knowledge transfer at the highest level by providing workshops and seminars to the partners on the technology being developed, as well as on-site training in the lab. This will also lead to improvement on existing programs at PUCMM such as power electronics, power systems and control systems, providing alumni with hands-on experience and the comprehensive set of skills necessary to successfully design, develop, manage and operate decentralized RES.
EDENORTE
The regional energy utility, EDENORTE, is the main stakeholder of the project and is providing technical information such as network topology, feeders, line characteristics, load profiles, location of generators, switching devices, as well as consulting and technical expertise. A working group was created with the Distribution Management and Network Studies Department and the MG Researchers to set goals, scope and communication channels.
IEEE Dominicana
IEEE Dominicana is working with the team to set up recurring workshops and presentations to externalize the project’s results and to connect with professionals working in similar lines of investigation.