About the grid
The University of St. Thomas has one of the only student-focused microgrid research facilities in the nation. At the Center for Microgrid Research, both undergraduates (beginning as early as their first year at St. Thomas) and graduate students help develop technology and are trained to shape the evolution of energy in the face of climate change. The Center, based at the School of Engineering, attracts an array of students, researchers and industry partners interested in distributed energy resources.
The Center for Microgrid Research seeks to be one of the premiere applied engineering research centers in the area of distributed energy resources and microgrids that will enable a secure, resilient and carbon-free electric grid for the 21st Century.
We look forward to engaging in research opportunities with the power community. Please contact us if you would like to partner with the Center for Microgrid Research.
Our undergraduates and graduate students work together at our Center’s research facilities and gain hands-on experiences greatly valued by the energy industry. Students who have worked on the microgrid readily find internships and employment opportunities at local and national engineering companies such as Xcel Energy, Mortenson and SEL. The hands-on experience that those students gain while working on the microgrid is unrivaled within the state of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. Student researchers can begin work at the Center as early as their first year at St. Thomas. Learn more about a few of the undergraduate and graduate students who have contributed to research at the Center:
Eau Claire, WI
As a sophomore, Josh volunteered on the Microgrid and worked on Relay Protection programming to program command that tells the relays to open or close to ensure the grid is running safely and efficiently.
Carver, MN
As a sophomore, Grant's work on the Microgrid specialized in working with the Load Bank, the RTAC setup and basic coding of tags.
Excelsior, MN
Ian completed various projects on the Microgrid including coding protection logic into 451 relays, creating a network for the devices to communicate with each other, and coding real-time automation controllers to command all the relays and other devices to run smoothly.
Andover, MN
Rachel started working on the Microgrid her first year at St. Thomas. She focused on the diesel generator and its Woodward controller, the human machine interface, some relay protection and learned more about the automation controller her sophomore year.
Chennai, India
Janani currently works in industry as a Microgrid Automation Engineer. Her responsibilities include development of microgrid controller system including integration, software coding and lab testing for smooth operation of the grid.
The opportunity to work on the microgrid as a first-year engineering student allowed me to begin investing in my interest of power systems early on during my college experience. Becoming a power engineer allows me to know that the work I am passionate about is making a difference in the lives of countless people.
