Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa Junior College develops a smart microgrid with AVEVA PI System
Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) turned to the PXiSE control system and AVEVA PI System (Asset Framework) to build a resilient, renewable-powered microgrid on its campus. PXiSE relies on high-speed sensor data stored in AVEVA PI System to deliver fast, precise microgrid control, ensuring both reliability and performance. This technology combination illustrates the future of microgrids: an architecture able to integrate renewable energy sources in real time while maintaining grid stability. SRJC now has a sustainable, self-sufficient and resilient energy environment that also serves as an educational showcase for its students and the community.
Testimonials
FAQ
How does AVEVA PI System help build a resilient microgrid on a college campus?
Santa Rosa Junior College deployed a renewable-powered microgrid controlled by the PXiSE system, which relies on AVEVA PI System and Asset Framework. PI System stores high-frequency sensor data (solar generation, consumption, grid status), enabling PXiSE to perform fast, precise microgrid control. This architecture combines reliability, renewable integration and energy independence, with expected savings of $330,000 a year for the campus.
Why is AVEVA Asset Framework essential for managing a microgrid?
Asset Framework structures the microgrid's data in a logical hierarchy: solar panels, batteries, consumption points and interconnections. This modeling contextualizes real-time data and allows the PXiSE control system to act precisely on each asset. For SRJC, this approach turns a heterogeneous set of renewable equipment into a coherent system, able to balance local generation, storage and grid supply in real time while ensuring overall stability.
What role do high-speed sensors play in microgrid control?
High-speed sensors capture variations in voltage, frequency and power flow within the microgrid in milliseconds. AVEVA PI System stores this massive data with excellent performance and makes it available to PXiSE for responsive control. This time granularity is essential for integrating highly variable renewables while maintaining power quality. It is a concrete demonstration of the convergence between industrial monitoring, advanced control and renewable energy.
What educational and operational benefits does a university smart grid bring?
SRJC's microgrid serves both as energy infrastructure and as an educational showcase for students and the community. Operationally, it is expected to generate $330,000 in annual savings and ensures resilience against main grid outages. Educationally, it trains the next generation of engineers in microgrid, renewable energy and modern industrial monitoring technologies. This dual value makes it an inspiring model for the education and research sector.
Why do microgrids represent the future of power distribution?
Microgrids make it possible to integrate renewable energy on a large scale while ensuring local reliability and resilience. They reduce dependence on the main grid, optimize self-consumption and facilitate the energy transition. The architecture deployed at SRJC, combining AVEVA PI System for data and PXiSE for control, illustrates a technically mature and economically viable approach. It is a replicable model for campuses, hospitals, industrial sites and communities seeking modern, self-sufficient energy infrastructure.