Project Overview

As diverse residential loads (such as electric heating/cooling units and electric vehicles) and distributed energy resources (such as rooftop PV) continue to grow, traditional secondary distribution grids are increasingly challenged by capacity constraints and power quality degradation. To address these issues, this project focuses on advancing a smart AC/DC secondary distribution grid structure, which can enhance system capacity with minimal additional infrastructure upgrades, while also enabling flexible integration of AC/DC loads and sources, improved power quality, and advanced energy management capability. In this project, an AC/DC secondary distribution pilot project will be established at FortisAlberta Employee Development Centre (EDC) in Red Deer, Alberta. The main tasks include full-system structure design, modeling, and simulation; development of key AC/DC power conversion stages; and field testing in collaboration with the utility partners. The successful completion of the pilot will create a concrete demonstration platform that showcases the feasibility and advantages of AC/DC secondary distribution systems. Furthermore, continuous operation of this system will provide technical evidence to support the next step toward implementation in actual distribution systems.