| Resource Type | Research Report |
| Author / Source | Joel Hewett (Homeland Defense & Security Information Analysis Center, U.S. Department of Defense) |
| Publication Date | April 2023 |
| Location | United States |
| Initiative Type | Technology, Partnership |
| Project Complexity | Advanced |
| Recommended For | Staff, Board |
Estimated reading time: 30+ minutes
Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops
Military bases are adding microgrids to ride out long grid outages, and co-ops that serve a base may be drawn into planning and interconnection. This is especially true for co-ops that own a base's distribution system under a utility privatization contract.
At Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, an export agreement made it easier for the local utility to call on the base's microgrid during a 2022 heat wave. A co-op can use the report to learn what has helped these projects succeed or stall, with lessons that may carry over to other large critical loads on its system (such as hospitals, water treatment plants, or industrial parks).
Key Takeaways
| › | Networked backup generators outperform standalone units, and national laboratory modeling found that adding solar and storage improves resilience and cost further. |
| › | Design choices lock a microgrid in for decades, so early planning matters most. Free tools such as REopt and DER-CAM help compare options but do not replace engineering design. |
| › | Success depends more on organization and people than on cutting-edge equipment. Key factors include dedicated maintenance funding, trained operators, regular islanding tests, and a committed project champion. |
| › | Microgrids can help the wider grid during emergencies. This typically depends on a negotiated agreement with the serving utility covering export limits and compensation. |
Implementation Considerations
- Cost or Funding Requirements: Microgrid power generally costs more than utility power, and maintenance costs have run higher than expected at many military microgrids. Funding split across several sources and years can leave too little for long-term upkeep and testing.
- Staffing or Technology Requirements: Experienced microgrid operators are scarce, and even flagship projects struggle to fully staff their operations. Many co-ops, especially smaller ones, may need outside engineering partners or shared planning tools.
- Time-Sensitive Information: Published April 2023. Cost trends, the Army's 2022 goal of a microgrid on every installation by 2035, and federal funding such as the Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program may have shifted. Tools described as in development, including MicrogridUP, have since moved forward.
Notable Examples
- Marine Corps Air Station Miramar: One of the largest and most complete military microgrids. An export agreement let San Diego Gas & Electric call on it to help prevent outages during a 2022 heat wave.
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA): Described in the report as developing MicrogridUP, a planning tool for co-ops that own distribution systems on military bases. Since then, the software has been used for planning exercises at four major installations served by three co-ops. As of 2023, four microgrids it identified had funding and were moving into deployment.
- U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hunter Liggett: Used a national laboratory design tool to schedule battery charging. Its commander noted all energy resilience knowledge rests with one contracted energy manager.
- Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy, Reliability, and Security (SPIDERS): Joint federal pilot whose three microgrids went dormant by 2018 due to high maintenance costs and unclear ownership.
- Fort Belvoir: Cut outages from on-base causes to near zero through tree trimming, maintenance, and undergrounding lines.
Estimated reading time: 30+ minutes
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