Perfect Power at IIT Celebrates Phase I Completion of Five Year Project

Part of a five-year project, the completion of phase one means that the first high-reliability distribution loop, serving Hermann Hall, Alumni Hall, Perlstein Hall, Wishnick Hall and Siegel Hall on IIT’s Main Campus, is in operation, as is the automation of the university’s north substation. The buildings included in the first phase now have automatic fault detection and distribution information that will allow for greatly improved electricity reliability. The automation of the south substation, and the installation of the high reliability distribution loops that serve other campus buildings, will be completed in the next four years of the project. Distribution systems, such as the HRDS, are critical in enabling many of the goals of the Perfect Power project and policymakers in general, such as reduction in greenhouse gases through integration of renewable energy sources and increased reliability.

The Nation’s first Perfect Power System, Perfect Power at IIT, is an example of how government, utilities, businesses and municipalities can collaborate in the development and implementation of advanced power systems that are required to meet rising 21st century power demands. The project, developed by IIT, is the result of an uncommon partnership among the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), local utility Exelon/ComEd, the entrepreneurial electricity distribution developer Intelligent Power Solutions, the Chicago-based global provider of electric power delivery solutions for the intelligent grid, S&C Electric Company, and the Galvin Electricity Initiative.

The Perfect Power System is based on a smart microgrid — a small, local, modernized version of the electricity grid that carries bulk power across the country. These microgrids focus on rapidly bringing the economic and environmental benefits of modern grid technology to consumers. They engage entrepreneurial innovators and investors to install the smart digital technology that allows the instantaneous, two-way flow of electricity and real-time pricing and demand information between utilities and consumers.

Projections indicate that the Perfect Power model at IIT will pay for itself within five years following its completion. For IIT, the Perfect Power System will generate significant savings — at least $10 million over 10 years. Following the short payback period, the university will generate money from Perfect Power through more affordable power costs, such as grid infrastructure improvements, allowing it to purchase electricity based on real-time prices rather than the traditional contracted average. IIT will also be able to sell electricity back to local energy markets and employ more efficient energy conservation efforts by integrating local power generation from clean sources.
To view a comprehensive report showcasing the design and benefits of Perfect Power, visit http://www.iit.edu/perfect_power.

Illinois Institute of Technology
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,700 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.

S&C Electric Company
S&C, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is applying its heritage of innovation to address challenges facing the world’s power grids and thus shaping the future of reliable electricity delivery. The mission of employee-owned S&C is to continually develop new solutions for electricity delivery, fostering the improved efficiency and reliability required for the intelligent grid. Additional information about S&C is available at www.sandc.com/sgaep.

Galvin Electricity Initiative
The Galvin Electricity Initiative, launched by former Motorola CEO Robert W. Galvin, is leading a campaign to transform the Nation’s obsolete electric power system into one that can truly meet consumers’ needs in this new century. Galvin’s vision — a Perfect Power System that cannot fail the end-user — includes a major technological update to the electricity grid infrastructure as well as the development of smart microgrids around the country to benefit consumers and suppliers alike. See how Galvin is turning this vision into a reality at www.galvinpower.org.