Project 7: Creating a +CityxChange Approach to Community Grids

+CityxChange proposes a novel, disruptive concept: the +CityxChange Community Grid. The proposed Community Grid, which acts like a Virtual Microgrid, is a group of grid-connected electrical resources, within a clearly defined electrical boundary in the Distribution System (e.g. sub-station), with a single defined logical connection point to the grid.

+CityxChange (Positive City Exchange) Limerick

The main advantage of the +CityxChange Community Grid approach is that although the Community Grid is limited to a defined electrical boundary, participation within that boundary is voluntary.

Buildings or resource owners who wish to participate must be able and willing to offer production of energy, and/or flexibility from their production or consumption, i.e. they must become prosumers.

+CityxChange (Positive City Exchange) Limerick

The +CityxChange Community Grid will have 3 layers:

  • Cloud-based services for community grids.
  • Production and flexible resources/assets, distributed over sites (buildings, production sites).
  • Boundary and networking layer, operated within the Community Grid.