Military Microgrids with Renewable Energy and 5G Communication

Military installations fit the widely accepted definition of an electrical microgrid very closely: they are geographically and electrically well-defined, need to be capable of operating in grid-connected and islanded modes, and can operate as a single entity when presented to the grid. The independent operation of a microgrid from the national grid can significantly enhance the resiliency, cybersecurity, and physical security of the nation’s military bases. As a niche application of microgrids, several military base microgrids have been deployed in recent years. Renewable-based microgrids can help the military reduce its petroleum use, potentially saving $8–$20 billion over the next two decades. However, renewables-based microgrids require stringent control and protection facilities. Considering the large number of entities that need to be coordinated and controlled together, the control of assets within a microgrid typically becomes a distributed control problem—in distributed control, different assets communicate and coordinate with each other to optimally utilize the resources. This is where 5G communication networks can induce a paradigm shift. 5G has been identified by the United States Department of Defense as a critical strategic technology. A 5G-based technology platform is attractive from economic and security perspectives for military microgrids. 5G can address security while containing cost; 5G provides different layers of security, such as device-radio network security, device-core network security, device-service network security, and intra-network security. Even though 5G needs to be customized to meet power grid-specific requirements, baseline 5G features and designs are still significantly used. This chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities related to a renewable-based 5G-enabled microgrid for military installations.