One reason microgrids aren\u2019t widely used yet involves equipment compatibility, Cuzner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re trying to merge the old infrastructure with the new equipment of the microgrid, where no uniform standards exist,\u201d Cuzner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding the equipment needed to integrate renewables is one example, said Mark Vygoder, a doctoral student and longtime lab member. Cuzner\u2019s lab members have been working with large U.S. military bases in Europe that already use microgrids to address grid insecurity but are grappling with costs related to knitting together unstandardized equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bit like the Wild West where you can buy devices from different vendors and all the products are a little bit different,\u201d Vygoder said. \u201cSo, it becomes quite costly when you have to hire a service provider to sort that out for you. When the microgrid operates independent of the grid, all those different components need to coordinate and communicate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 51ÁÔÆæ expertise in power distribution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cuzner, an expert in power controls, conversion and distribution \u2013 the areas of vulnerability in microgrid technology \u2013 stands at the center of 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s reputation as a leader in both energy storage and electric grid technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cuzner\u2019s lab is a lead partner in the GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES), a national industry\/university research center that aims to accelerate insertion of power electronics into the national grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cuzner, Vygoder and Andrew Eggebeen, a recent PhD graduate in computer engineering, who worked in Cuzner\u2019s lab, visited three U.S. bases in Europe in the summer of 2023 to get a first-hand look at how these microgrids are being implemented and their limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne thing we found was that these bases are very large and spread out, leading to transmission problems,\u201d Cuzner said. \u201cIn one case, the solar array is several miles outside of the base.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To solve the problem, Cuzner and his colleagues at the Naval Post Graduate School in California developed a \u201czonal distribution concept\u201d \u2013 essentially breaking microgrids down into less complex units, called nanogrids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is a nanogrid?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cuzner\u2019s background is in the conversion of Navy shipboard power generation to electrical distribution. Such architecture features damage-control zones: When the power goes out in one part of the ship, the system reroutes itself using smart switchgear and continues to operate with only the affected zone shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nanogrids can be strung together within the microgrid itself, improving overall smart capabilities. And they can be added one at a time, easing the cost burden of a microgrid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cuzner and his team are researching the best ways to standardize components supplied by commercial vendors and ensure \u201cgrid-edge inter-compatibility,\u201d which means that even components supplied by different vendors can work and play well together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf smart components of a nanogrid are standardized,\u201d Cuzner said, \u201cit can become a \u2018plug and play\u2019 building block that can be produced cost-efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s microgrid \u2018sandbox\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To work out the details of nanogrids, Cuzner\u2019s lab members have built a fully functional microgrid at the University Services & Research building near 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s Kenwood campus. Since 2021, the lab has been building an energy distribution system with smart metering and controls, giving them an experimental sandbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The researchers can now observe how a microgrid responds under varying conditions, quantify how commercial components monitor microgrid data, and then simulate in real-time a full-scale system that interacts with real control hardware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith our microgrid, we can simulate equipment that is on the grid, test it at scale, quantify the \u2018grid-edge\u2019 where everything comes together, and figure out how to improve performance,\u201d Cuzner said. \u201cThat\u2019s something no one else has done yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2023, they worked with a local company, Badger Technologies, to install, test and integrate a battery energy storage system with the 51ÁÔÆæ microgrid. In addition, 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s microgrid includes a solar array, one wind turbine, two natural gas generators and a smart switch that could connect it to the national grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The college is currently exploring ways to secure federal funding to turn the 51ÁÔÆæ microgrid into an industry-collaborative lab with a 1,000-13,000-volt testing facility. Such a facility would attract industry, quicken the pace of new microgrid technology and would include research on electric ships and aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Power distribution and controls in focus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nanogrids also improve control of the flow of electricity if connected to the grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Control refers to how the existing grid meets demand. Higher than normal demand for electricity could cause a blackout, but so could a glut of power to the grid from renewables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another benefit of nanogrids is that the controls can be built from the \u201cbottom up,\u201d Vygoder said, giving nanogrids the ability to speedily compensate for power disturbances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Southeast Wisconsin is the perfect place to develop this commercial potential with its cluster of companies related to energy, power and controls. 51ÁÔÆæ is at the epicenter, with longstanding research partnerships with industry leaders including Eaton, Rockwell Automation, Leonardo DRS, and Johnson Controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So far, the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC) has funded Cuzner\u2019s collaboration with the Naval Post Graduate School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most recently, this led to Cuzner receiving funding from Office of Naval Research to develop a \u201cdigital twin\u201d approach to study how nanogrid components respond to a wide range of both normal and damaged scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI and nanogrid decision-making<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital twins rely on artificial intelligence to improve communication among the smart components of both micro and nanogrids. It\u2019s the next step in the integration research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When paired with machine learning, AI could potentially allow microgrids and nanogrids to teach themselves what leads to a breakdown and autonomously decide what to do when they detect trouble brewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this research, Cuzner has consulted with Zhen Zeng, 51ÁÔÆæ assistant professor of computer science, who is an expert in digital twins and cybersecurity. Zeng is co-advising computer engineering students who are helping in Cuzner\u2019s lab, bringing together power\/energy and computer engineering in the college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen we feed a lot of information into an AI model, the model can quickly tell you what is going on in the system,\u201d said Zeng. \u201cWe try to understand which situations we would need to consider when building cyber-protection into the design,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Electrical outages have become a common occurrence around the globe \u2013 and also in Wisconsin, said Robert Cuzner, professor of electrical engineering. \u201cI\u2019ve kept track at my home and I\u2019ve been without power for at least 100 hours in the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":836,"featured_media":21852,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[95,25,67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy-sustainability","category-news","category-research"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Faculty](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/engineering\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/537\/2025\/01\/Cuzner.Vygoder-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/engineering\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/537\/2025\/01\/Nanogrids.group_.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/engineering\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/537\/2025\/01\/Lentz.Vygoder.sm_.jpg\")