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Microgrid Controls: Communicating in Real-Time

November 18, 2022

With the ever-evolving technological backdrop to society, people want instant feedback and access to information. We can monitor our front porch video feed from our cell phone while we are on a beach vacation, we can preheat the oven at our house before we leave the office, and we can start our cars in the bitter cold winter from the comfort and warmth of our homes. With the advancement of technology not slowing down, microgrids should have the functionality to communicate in real time. Below are three things a microgrid controller should be able to do: accept control commands, engage in site and wide area optimization, and report its own health.   Accept Control Commands Modern microgrid control systems have many features for managing the combined resources within their purview.  A good example of a feature grouping is the algorithms involved in the control of storage batteries.  Given some understanding of the future, such as tomorrow’s weather forecast or tomorrow’s power pricing, decisions must be made about when to charge and when to discharge the battery.  Many other control decisions have to be made

problems microgrids can solve, photo of microgrid set up.

Three Problems Microgrids Can Solve

September 30, 2022

Utilities face a variety of challenges in today’s business and technical environment.  While customers want lower prices, they also want greater reliability in general, and greater resilience at their specific location.  A utility leader recently characterized the customer side of the equation, saying “It used to be that customers could occasionally cope with going 48 hours without power.  Now, as soon as their cell phone battery goes dead, it’s a crisis for them.”  Large, corporate solutions to these issues are expensive and don’t always solve the problem right to the customer’s door.  On the other hand, microgrids and distributed power generation, can solve these problems and can do so comprehensively. Below are three problems that microgrids and distributed generation can solve. Problem #1: Low Power Generation from Utility Grid Historically, when a utility system became capacity “constrained,” the solution was to build bigger central station generators.  These installations were difficult to build in the past and even more so now. This is partly due to the risk of recovering such large investments in a constantly changing regulatory environment, and partly

Digital electrical meters lined up in rows and columns.

Choosing Demand Response Programs

September 23, 2022

Demand response programs offer many utility consumers a great way to lower their electric utility bills by reducing the demand component (kilowatts) of monthly costs. There are a variety of ways to achieve this improvement, and those ways continue to evolve. The questions below show a logical path you can follow to find out which programs work best for you. 1. What is the electric load profile of the location? It is important to understand the electric load profile of the location in question. For example, is the daily load pattern a slow up and down curve throughout the day, like residential loads? Or is the load relatively flat and stable during non-working hours, but then steps up to a higher level when, for example, employees arrive? The type of demand programs that have the most impact will highly depend on these patterns. 2. What demand programs are offered by the serving utility? The next big step is to evaluate the demand programs offered by the serving utility. Many utility companies offer programs in which customers “enroll” to regularly shift

Glasses and book on couch to represent Mesa's reading list.

Mesa’s Leadership Reading List

July 6, 2022

The leadership team at Mesa Solutions has a goal to train leaders at all levels of the company. To achieve this goal, a reading list has been compiled and curated to include books that help develop and hone leadership skills and traits, and to help foster Mesa’s values and culture in all employees. The reading list includes reading material that is required reading for those in leadership positions and is recommended reading for every Mesa employee to give them insights and tips on developing these important skills. Listed below are books that create a strong foundation for teamwork and leadership. Each Mesa employee is given the book The Ideal Team Player on their first day and encouraged to read it to discover what three qualities make a great team player. Not much of a reader? Start with one. Then another. You’ll have the whole list knocked out in no time! In the wise words of Fred Fichtner, COO and reading list administrator, “If you don’t think you have time to read, you don’t have time to lead.” 1. The Ideal

crypto mining background graphic.

Minimizing the Energy Cost of Your Crypto Mining Operations

June 29, 2022

Cryptocurrency is taking the world by storm—and whether you are skeptical of it or spending your kid’s college fund for more, there is no denying a new crypto-industry that is surpassing a $2 trillion market cap and can consume over $100 worth in electricity per transaction— including your Papa John’s pizza order. The purpose of this blog is to briefly summarize some of the recent data on minimizing the cost of mining for cryptocurrency and specifically highlight methods to reduce the energy cost of your crypto mining operations. The nature of cryptocurrency mining requires electricity, and often a significant amount. Accessing cheaper electricity is one of the most effective ways to reduce the cost of virtual mining. As we are coming from the perspective of power generation technology, the simple assumption that crypto mining requires electricity tells us that the cheaper electricity we can provide, the cheaper we can make mining for our customers. With this in mind, our research in this paper has focused on the specific power needs of virtual mining and how miners can reduce their electrical bills.

telemetry system shown with a space satellite probe with solar panels.

Mesa’s Proprietary Telemetry System

June 21, 2022

The design of Mesa’s generators keeps customers’ needs at the forefront. One of Mesa’s promises is to maintain a greater than 95% available uptime. To help us keep this promise, our generators regularly communicate with Mesa’s 24-hour Operations center via the onboard proprietary telemetry system. From this, local generator technicians can respond in a timely manner to address any issues that arise to keep your generator running or get it up and running again as quickly as possible. Each Mesa generator comes equipped with a proprietary telemetry system installed and ready to work for you. Via satellite or cell towers, the system sends regular messages about the generator’s health, containing over 20 critical parameters. This information is stored in Mesa’s database and processed for access. How does it work? GATHERS ELECTRICAL AND ENGINE DATA FROM THE GENERATOR Each generator telemetry computer is sampling large volumes of engine and electrical data and processing it onboard.  Through millions of hours of runtime experience, this proprietary system has evolved to focus only on key, relevant data, and get rid of the noise.  When

Photo showing a city with a river nearby.

Implementing a Microgrid for Demand Response

June 10, 2022

With increasing power outages and electricity rate volatility, you know you need backup power. You also know you need to offset the associated costs of your backup power and microgrid through your local utility-sponsored demand response programs. So, what’s next? Continue reading to learn the steps we walk our clients through for microgrid and demand response program implementation. Choosing the right demand response program Evaluate Site Load A site load energy audit will be one of the first steps toward implementing a microgrid for demand response. Determining load profile, peak demand, and identifying critical loads are essential first steps in installing the most efficient assets on site for a given load. Evaluating a site load requires looking at utility data over as long a relevant time span as possible. Many commercial businesses rely on a preferred demand response partner/asset manager like Mesa Solutions to help with their energy audit, analysis, and recommendations for a turnkey Resiliency-as-a-Service Program offering. Asset Management Strategy Most local utilities offer a variety of demand response programs. Not all may be the right fit for your

Mesa power solutions microgrid - energy costs cut in half.

Microgrid Solutions Reduce Energy Costs By Half

May 26, 2022

Microgrid solutions reduce energy costs by utilizing renewables, storing energy for later use, and operating independently or in conjunction with the power grid. Read the case study below to see how Mesa used many generators to create a microgrid and reduced unplanned downtime for the customer. The Customer A prominent Permian oil and natural gas producer focused on the acquisition and development of unconventional fuel reserves in the Permian Basin. As an established Mesa Solutions customer, they were already familiar with Mesa’s superior power rental service. A less-than-satisfactory turbine rental arrangement prompted this customer to initiate a cutting-edge microgrid upgrade with Mesa. The Challenge A remote location, high peak demand, unique fuel gas characteristics, and a need to reduce unplanned downtime. This customer’s site is the central point of generation for a distributed network of 36 wells, two saltwater disposal systems, and 14 oil batteries – accounting for roughly 10MW of total power demand. With no connection available to the primary utility grid, the customer needed a power solution that could operate using only a local supply of low-pressure field

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