On the front lines of national security, the Department of Defense (DOD) recognizes how adoption of renewable energy is vital to reducing dependence on foreign oil, addressing greenhouse gas emissions and maximizing resource utilization. NREL is working with DOD and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to specify a system that integrates solar photovoltaics, plug-in electric vehicles and a renewable energy management unit with a microgrid at Fort Carson, a large Army facility in Colorado.
Through the coordination of generators and loads, the Fort Carson microgrid will make it possible to maintain electricity delivery to a portion of the facility that is critical to sustained operations. During this multi-year project, NREL will develop critical modeling tools to optimize components needed to link vehicles to the microgrid. Funded with $1.7 million from the DOD’s Energy Conservation Investment Program (ECIP), the project will be rolled out in four phases...(read more...)
