Resources

InteGrid Resources

The InteGrid Test and Development Laboratory leverages Colorado State University’s world-class engines research capabilities and Spirae’s smart-grid design and development expertise to establish a unique laboratory where advanced smart-grid concepts are being tested, refined, and validated.

The InteGrid Lab was built in 2006 and is jointly owned and operated by Spirae and CSU. In addition to the significant investments made by Spirae and CSU during the creation of the lab, the City of Fort Collins, Fort Collins Utilities, the Colorado Governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation, the Colorado Office of Economic Development, and Woodward Governor Company provided support in various forms to make the InteGrid Lab a reality in record time.

The Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster and the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation also played key roles in assisting in the formation of the InteGrid Lab and have been instrumental in establishing it as a cornerstone of Northern Colorado’s renewables and sustainability related economic development initiatives.

Spirae

Spirae, Inc, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, was founded in 2002 by Dr. Sunil Cherian. Spirae specializes in the characterization and integration of renewable and distributed power into a seamless solution for system operators, utilities, and end users. Spirae’s team consists of many of the industry’s foremost authorities on power grid modeling, control system engineering, wind power, and distributed energy.

Spirae’s capabilities along with the InteGrid Test and Development Lab offers the unique ability to provide greater assurance with the development of integrated renewable and distributed power solutions. The advanced dynamic simulation of large scale equipment provides a true foundation for characterizing new technologies as well as the platform for exceptional analysis, design, and development.

CSU Engines and Energy Conversion Lab

The Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory (EECL) has a 15 year history of innovation and entrepreneurship, and is a world leader in engine and energy research. The lab was established in 1992 through a partnership with the City of Fort Collins in the vacant Fort Collins Power plant. Originally constructed in 1936, this historic building has allowed the EECL to build unique facilities capable of conducting experimental research on engines ranging in size from 1hp to 2500 hp. Our earliest work with natural gas pipeline engines produced a series of market driven environmental solutions that have transformed the industry.

The EECL has recently expanded their scope to encompass areas both upstream (fuels) and downstream (power grids) of our core engine expertise. In addition, we have applied this core expertise in energy conversion technology and product development to the creation of solutions with a global impact on energy production, conversion, and consumption – testing new energy technologies around the world including India, The Philippines, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Nepal. Cumulative research awards for the EECL now exceed $25M.

Key Contributors:

The following contributors were instrumental in providing key technology and resources for the InteGrid Lab.