QUEBEC -
Hewitt Equipment, the
Caterpillar dealer for Quebec and the Maritimes, is proud to announce that it will now offer the most recent Cat® microgrid technology, a new suite of power systems that integrates many innovations in terms of renewable energies. These systems include solar panels, state-of- the-art energy storage equipment as well as advanced monitoring and control systems, to name a few.
These powerful and environmental devices can be used together with different traditional power generation equipment from Caterpillar, such as gensets, switchgears, UPS and automatic transfer switches.
The Cat microgrid system is built to reduce fuel expenses, public service bills and harmful emissions, while increasing the power efficiency, even in less accessible areas. Its applications are various: telecommunications towers, industrial facilities, mining installations, and remote villages, islands and rural communities, etc.
Available worldwide, Cat microgrid technologies can be purchased as turnkey installations or designed to order solutions. Ranging from 10 kW to 100 MW, units can be added in a modular fashion to create systems customized for a variety of power needs.
In a hybrid microgrid, renewable sources of energy can account for any percentage of the load depending on conditions. Excess energy produced by renewables is stored for stabilization as well as for use during unfavourable conditions, such as cloudy days and nighttime. Generator sets supplement the system by powering the microgrid when energy from other sources is unavailable.
Cat microgrid applications can include any combination of the following elements:
- thin-film solar modules, which capture more energy, especially in high temperature, high humidity, desert, and coastal climates;
- energy storage such as ultra-capacitors, lithium-ion, or rechargeable metal-air storage that provides the most economical and advanced energy storage with controls and monitoring down to the cell level;
- Cat generator sets powered by diesel, heavy fuel oil, natural gas, biogas, or dual fuel, offering high power density, high part-load efficiencies, and excellent capability to follow loads; and
- the Cat microgrid Master Controller to monitor and optimize power usage in the microgrid.
To support the development of the Cat microgrid technologies over the past year, Caterpillar has invested in Fluidic Energy for energy storage, signed a strategic alliance with First Solar for an integrated photovoltaic solar solution, and made an equity investment in Powerhive, an energy solutions provider for emerging markets.
To learn more about Cat microgrid technologies, visit
www.Cat.com/microgrid.
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