Microgrid Solicitations and Opportunities in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania

July 7, 2016
Massachusetts island-town issues microgrid solicitation The Massachusetts town of Gosnold, which encompasses the Elizabeth Islands near Cape Cod, has issued a microgrid solicitation that seeks a microgrid controller, battery bank, and power electronics. The request for proposals calls for supply, delivery, installation, commissioning of the equipment to support the town’s solar/diesel microgrid. More details about […]

Gosnold Town Hall; Credit: John Phelan

Massachusetts island-town issues microgrid solicitation

The Massachusetts town of Gosnold, which encompasses the Elizabeth Islands near Cape Cod, has issued a microgrid solicitation that seeks a microgrid controller, battery bank, and power electronics.

The request for proposals calls for supply, delivery, installation, commissioning of the equipment to support the town’s solar/diesel microgrid.

More details about the RFP, which was posted July 22, are here.

A microgrid for Berks County industrial park?

The Berks County Industrial Development Authority (BCIDA) is considering building a microgrid to power a proposed 760,200 square-foot business park in Berks County, Pennsylvania, according to LVB.com.

In order to attract the manufacturers and refrigerated warehouses developers hope for, the site will need more than the 3 MW of power available from the main grid.

Planned improvements to the site’s infrastructure to expand electrical power capacity may only provide a short-term solution, said Thomas McKeon, executive director of the BCIDA. “We’re going to need to have that in place to get us started, and then we would like to have more power. The microgrid may be the way to do that.”

Microgrids are increasingly popping up at industrial parks, colleges and communities to supplement or replace energy supplied by the main grid.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Researching #microgrids to power potential business at Berks County Reading Regional Airport industrial park.” quote=”Researching #microgrids to power potential business at Berks County Reading Regional Airport industrial park.”]

A consortium of development and local industrial companies has raised $55,000 so far to cover the estimated $100,000 cost of a feasibility study of a microgrid for the business park, according to McKeon.

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Microgrid considered at Pennsylvania landfill

Pennsylvania Rep. Duane Milne (R-Chester) is reporting that a microgrid is in planning for the closed Knickerbocker Sanitary Landfill in Chester County near Routes 29 and 202.

The 6-7 MW solar microgrid could be operating by the second quarter of 2017.

The project is the brainchild of Microgrid Energy Partners of Great Valley and Managing Partner of Coatesville Solar Initiative (CSI).

“The benefits of a solar farm is that it produces renewable energy,” Milne said. “It will also be beneficial in the event of a dangerous storm that knocks out power lines. With the microgrid in place, power, reserved in batteries, will be available for local use. That microgrid will be available around the clock on every day.”

Ed Simpson, development partner in the project, says that solar and microgrids are a solution to our energy needs not only locally but also globally. “Projects like this will benefit my grandchildren for generations to come.”

The microgrid will be connected to the central grid with the ability to island. The partners are currently seeking business hosts to buy the power.

Cara Goman, Microgrid Knowledge associate editor, contributed to this report.

About the Author

Elisa Wood | Editor-in-Chief

Elisa Wood is an award-winning writer and editor who specializes in the energy industry. She is chief editor and co-founder of Microgrid Knowledge and serves as co-host of the publication’s popular conference series. She also co-founded RealEnergyWriters.com, where she continues to lead a team of energy writers who produce content for energy companies and advocacy organizations.

She has been writing about energy for more than two decades and is published widely. Her work can be found in prominent energy business journals as well as mainstream publications. She has been quoted by NPR, the Wall Street Journal and other notable media outlets.

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