| Resource Type | Article |
| Author / Source | Molly Christian (RE Magazine) |
| Publication Date | November 2024 |
| Location | Multi-state (Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Wyoming) |
| Initiative Type | Technology, Partnership |
| Project Complexity | Advanced |
| Recommended For | Board, Staff |
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops
More than 125 electric cooperatives serve military installations across 41 states. Several are now planning microgrids that can keep a base running if the bulk grid goes down from a hurricane, extreme weather, or a human-caused threat.
For co-ops that serve a base or another critical campus (such as a hospital, university, or industrial park), these short profiles show how one high-value customer can become an entry point into co-op-owned distributed energy resources (DERs). Leaders can use the article as a quick source of peer ideas before scoping a project or approaching a large critical-load member.
Key Takeaways
| › | Co-ops are well positioned to run base microgrids because many already own, operate, or maintain on-base electric systems under long-term contracts. |
| › | A microgrid built for one critical customer can give a co-op storage and controls experience that may help manage peak loads across its system. |
| › | Early cost/benefit modeling can reveal simpler options. A single substation-level microgrid may cover a whole site at lower capital cost than several small ones. |
| › | Shared planning tools can cut microgrid soft costs like data analysis, mapping, and design, and they apply to hospitals, universities, and industrial parks too. |
Implementation Considerations
- Regulatory or Governance Considerations: Base microgrids depend on military approvals and contract terms. Projects can stall at federal design and cost review, or when a base must get permission to move away from its current supplier.
- Staffing or Technology Requirements: Owning and operating a microgrid that fully isolates from the grid calls for specialized engineering and controls expertise. Co-ops building that capacity can draw on planning tools, NRECA Research, and peer co-ops.
- Time-Sensitive Information: All three projects were in early planning or approval stages as of November 2024. Check current status with each co-op before citing outcomes.
Notable Examples
- Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO): Planning its first co-op-owned DER, a microgrid at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida that can fully isolate from the grid.
- High West Energy: Designing a microgrid for F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, pending U.S. Army Corps of Engineers review.
- Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative (Sussex REC): Operates the on-base electric system at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey and is seeking approval to run a microgrid there.
- NRECA Research: Built the MicrogridUP planning tool with CHELCO, Sussex REC, and Rio Grande Electric Cooperative in Texas, supported by a Department of Defense grant.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
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