This project considers the design of a renewable energy microgrid for a 19-acre community farm in San Luis Obispo, CA as the farm seeks to increase the magnitude of its electrical loads, and gain back-up electrical capability. The microgrid design will enable lower carbon emissions, reduce demand on the utility grid while saving on energy costs, and provide improved reliability and resiliency to the operator of the community farm. The eventual implementation of the design by a professional engineering entity will allow the community farm to expand its education program to include renewable energy as well as gain notoriety in the sustainability conscience community that City Farm relies on for donations. The design process will consist of 1) analysis of the farm’s existing electrical system and its loads, 2) a dive into State, local, and utility rules defining under what circumstances microgrids can be built interconnected to the grid, 3) analysis to estimate optimal component and resource sizing, and 4) recommending locations, components, protection and component settings for the smart distributed energy generation facility 5) analysis on safety, back up capacity, and financial feasibility of the design
