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    1. Microgrids

    HSGS, Ameresco joint venture building Solar-Gen-Battery Microgrid at New Mexico Military Site

    Aug. 30, 2022
    The microgrid system will include a 700-kW solar PV array, a 500-kW natural gas generator and a 500-kW battery energy storage system. This system will be designed to provide 14 days of power to the base’s potable water wells when there is a power outage
    Image credit U.S. Army
    Wsmr Museum Missile Park 630e0f9d66d56

    HSGS-Ameresco will install a microgrid system at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico.

    The WSMR is the largest open-air military test facility of the Department of Defense in New Mexico.

    The microgrid system will include a 700-kW solar photovoltaic array, a 500-kW natural gas generator and a 500-kW battery energy storage system. This system will be designed to provide 14 days of power to the base’s potable water wells when there is a power outage.

    The microgrid also will support critical missions at the Army Research Lab, Material Test Directorate, fire department, and a Fort Bliss power projection platform.

    “We are excited to implement this project to enhance the reliability of WSMR’s energy system,” said Dave McNeil, President and CEO of HSGS-Ameresco. “This diverse solution set will strengthen the base’s energy and water resilience, so that it is no longer dependent on a single source of power.”

    The project will also include updated electrical panels, transformers and controls, a fiber optic communication line, a fire alarm system, meters, cyber security measures, anti-terrorism measures and security fencing, among others.

    Construction on the project is expected to start in December this year and complete by late 2023. HSGS-Ameresco will supervise the project and provide the required labor, equipment, materials and transportation for the project.

    Last year, Massachusetts-based project developer Ameresco and South Carolina-based Hannah Solar Government Services announced the joint venture. HSGS had  been a subcontractor to Ameresco on projects for the past five years.

    Under the planned JV, the pair will work collaboratively to bring cleantech solutions to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other Federal agencies,

    The joint venture is certified as a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business by the Small Business Administration and the VA.

    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.