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    Mobile Energy Storage firm joins EPRI on Microgrid research at National Guard sites

    Feb. 8, 2023
    Led by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the study will explore how microgrids and clean energy technologies can benefit National Guard sites by providing cost savings, energy resilience, emissions reductions and reliability during emergencies
    Selfridge Air National Guard base, Michigan, Image credit American StructurePoint Inc.
    Selfridge Air National Guard base, Michigan, Image credit American StructurePoint Inc.

    Delaware-based Nomad Transportable Power Systems has joined a team selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to research microgrid energy solutions for National Guard facilities.

    Led by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent, non-profit energy research and development institute, the study aims to explore how microgrids and clean energy technologies can benefit National Guard sites by providing cost savings, energy resilience, emissions reductions, and reliability during emergency situations.

    “When we set out to design Nomad, one of our first goals was to create a product that would deliver unrivaled emergency response capabilities,” said Nomad Director Jay Bellows. “This project is an extension of that work and will bring Nomad together with other innovative energy technologies to provide energy security and savings to National Guard sites.”

    The initiative has been launched in response to the high costs of energy infrastructure at National Guard sites across the country. The DoD is searching for a solution that can provide up to 1 MW of peak power with a 14-day resiliency goal.

    The EPRI research team also includes Florida-based cleantech startup Blue Frontier, Illinois-based net-zero engine technology firm ClearFlame Engine Technologies and modular energy platform Helia Technologies. The study is part of the DoD’s 2022 Environmental Security Technology Certification Program and will be conducted at three National Guard sites in Delaware, Mississippi and Texas.

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    The team will examine the potential of advancements in heating and cooling, electricity and energy management to provide solutions for the National Guard. EPRI’s proprietary planning tools, such as the Distribution Energy Resources Value Estimate Tool, will be used to determine the optimal microgrid design to meet the specific requirement of each National Guard site.

    The study will also highlight the importance of liquid biofuels in decarbonizing heavy-duty applications. At the building level, the project will showcase the cost-savings that can be achieved by combining different operations.

    “The Heila EDGE is a decentralized and modular platform that makes it easy to connect, coordinate, and optimize solar PV arrays, batteries and other distributed energy resources,” Jorge Elizondo, CEO and co-founder at Heila Technologies, said. “Using emergent intelligence to link and coordinate components, the Heila EDGE creates a self-organizing network that significantly minimizes the system's complexity and costs.”

    At the network level, Nomad’s mobile lithium-ion storage systems will help National Guard sites to meet their power needs with appropriate sized, mobile battery storage systems that come with stationary docking systems and grid integration equipment.

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.