Wisconsin technology powers California microgrid project

California's Santa Rita Jail just got a little more secure this week, thanks to the completion of a $14 million "microgrid" project that gives the facility its own autonomous power supply — a feat rooted in University of Wisconsin-Madison technology. California officials will formally dedicate the microgrid on Thursday, and on hand will be UW-Madison emeritus electrical and computer engineer Robert Lasseter, one of the world's leading experts on microgrids. Lasseter has six microgrid-related patents managed by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and several companies licensing the technology are involved in the Santa Rita effort. Microgrids are designed to operate as self-contained local electrical power grids by drawing together a combination of sources and loads, frequently including photovoltaic, wind, diesel generators and storage. One of Lasseter's big research contributions is the development of an elegant and simple control concept that allows these different energy generators to "plug and play" into a seamless system. "This is working out to be a spectacular project," says Lasseter. "From a power standpoint, the jail can island itself and reconnect to the grid in a seamless manner.