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    1. Microgrids

    Eaton Installs Microgrid with Solar and Battery Storage to Power Manufacturing Facility in Puerto Rico

    April 4, 2024
    The project will generate more than half of the facility’s energy requirements to help reduce emissions, offset energy costs, and ensure resiliency during grid outage events
    Eaton
    660ef42f5d76a5001e1b9b54 Eaton

    Eaton and Enel North America have installed a clean energy microgrid system at Eaton's Arecibo manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico, which produces circuit breakers for homes, buildings, and industrial applications. 

    The project will help reduce the facility’s carbon footprint, boosting energy resilience and bolstering community infrastructure. Eaton has also implemented efficiency measures using its intelligent power management technologies to reduce its energy footprint.

    “Communities and businesses everywhere need far more sustainable, resilient, and affordable power,” said Mike Yelton, President of the Electrical Sector at Eaton. “The projects at our Arecibo manufacturing facility provide a blueprint on how to put the energy transition to work—delivering important benefits for the community and our business."

    The project will generate more than half of the facility’s energy requirements to help reduce emissions, offset energy costs, and ensure resiliency during grid outage events. The microgrid system includes 5 MWac of solar PV, approximately 1.1 MW of battery storage, and existing onsite generators.

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    The microgrid is capable of withstanding Category 5 hurricane-force winds and providing added value in normal grid-connected operations by generating renewable energy. This energy can be consumed, stored, and delivered back to the local grid to reduce stress on the island’s utility infrastructure.

    Eaton aims to reduce carbon emissions across its operations by 50% by 2030, and sustainability at its Arecibo facility is part of achieving this target.

    The clean energy project demonstrates Eaton’s Everything as a Grid approach to the energy transition for flexible energy systems, supporting more resilient, efficient, and affordable power. 

    Enel North America built, owned, and operated the system on behalf of Eaton and financed the project under an energy-as-a-service model, helping Eaton transform its investment in the microgrid system from a capital expense to an operational expense. 

    Eaton provided installation expertise and key technologies for the microgrid system, including its Power Xpert microgrid solutions and power distribution equipment.

    Eaton and Enel North America are now beginning construction on a second microgrid at Eaton's Las Piedras manufacturing facility to enhance energy resiliency in Puerto Rico. 

    “As the impacts of climate change worsen, large energy users are stepping up to power their facilities sustainably,” said Matt Barnes, Head of Distributed Energy Solutions at Enel North America. "The urgency to deploy microgrids—especially in regions with vulnerable electrical infrastructure—has never been greater, and Enel is delivering the clean and flexible systems that the energy transition requires.”

    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.