Parris Island Microgrid, Deep Energy Retrofit Reduced Utility Energy Demand by 75%

The United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island selected Ameresco in 2015 to deploy combined heat and power (CHP) and solar photovoltaic (PV) generation assets and to integrate them with a battery energy storage system (BESS) and a microgrid control system (MCS) capable of fast load shedding. The Parris Island microgrid is explored in detail in a new report.

Together with the improvements, this comprehensive project will further the Marine Corps Installation Command mission to ensure a reliable, secure energy supply and reduce lifecycle operating costs of Marine Corps facilities while managing future commodity price volatility.

Ameresco replaced the existing end-of-life steam plant with a new, fully automated, natural-gas fueled CHP plant capable of producing 3.5 MW of electricity and all of the steam required for the entire installation. Ameresco will deploy integrated renewable energy solutions, including solar PV, domestic hot water system upgrades, a battery energy storage system (BESS), and a microgrid control system (MCS) capable of fast load shedding.

This  new white paper  explores the project’s benefits, technology, size and more of the Parris Island microgrid project.