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    Solar-Storage Microgrid supporting Ohio Capital's Water Infrastructure

    March 9, 2023
    The microgrid features a 100-kW solar array and 440-kWh battery energy storage. Together with Eaton’s control technology, the on-site power can help Columbus continue to deliver clean water even during extended grid outages
    Image credit Anser Advisory
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    A renewable energy microgrid will be installed at a water infrastructure booster station in Ohio’s capital city.

    AEP Ohio awarded a contract to power management firm Eaton for the project at the Tussing Water Booster Station in Columbus, Ohio. Eaton will provide microgrid controls bringing together solar and battery storage capacity for on-site power.

    "Climate change is already impacting quality of life in central Ohio, and the challenges stemming from its very existence will only continue to grow more frequent and more common in the years ahead,” said Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “We have an obligation to strengthen the resiliency of our infrastructure and to meet these challenges head on. I am proud of the ways in which the City of Columbus is leading by example and embracing innovative solutions to ensure an equitable and prosperous future for every resident.”

    The microgrid features a 100-kW solar array and 440-kWh battery energy storage. Together with Eaton’s control technology, the on-site power can help Columbus continue to deliver clean water even during extended grid outages.

    The project is fully commissioned and should be operational soon.

    “We’re proud to help AEP Ohio and the City of Columbus reach a major milestone in their journey to build a more equitable, resilient and sustainable future,” said Igor Stamenkovic, vice president and general manager for Eaton’s Electrical Engineering Services & Systems division. “This microgrid project is an important precedent that demonstrates how climate-friendly technologies can be applied to modernize critical infrastructure while improving people’s lives, the environment and the bottom line.”

    The Tussing Water Booster Station microgrid project is partially funded through AEP Ohio’s Smart City program to develop energy resiliency for mission critical infrastructure. The city of Columbus also has a climate action plan to reduce emissions by 45 percent and install five microgrid pilot projects by 2030.

    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.