Military Microgrids

Battery Storage Supports Summer Cadet Training at U.S. Army West Point

Aug. 27, 2024

Viridi’s energy storage contribution is only the start of the microgrid project at West Point. A second, parallel project will work on how to integrate the RPS150 ESS with the Army’s Tactical Microgrid System protocol for microgrids.

Rod Walton, Managing Editor

Cadet Field Training graduation ceremony for the USMA Class of 2026. Camp Buckner, West Point, NY on June 27, 2023. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Christopher Hennen) (The appearance of DoD visuals does not constitute or imply DoD endorsement).

An energy storage microgrid generated the on-site power needed for cadet field training (CFT) this summer on the grounds of the U.S. Army’s West Point Military Academy in western New York.

Viridi delivered its RPS150 energy storage system and connected it with a diesel generator set in a military microgrid configuration at Camp Buckner. The camp’s tactical operations center supports navigation courses during CFT each summer.

Camp Buckner at West Point is where new cadets, often called “Yearlings,” start their academy experience with three weeks of basic training, according to the West Point website. This summer, about 1,200 new cadets completed CFT with the 14-mile “March Back” from Camp Buckner to the West Point Superintendent’s house.

Screenshot of Viridi Chief Commercial Officer Wayne Garett, himself a West Point grad, standing next to the RPS150 battery storage system at Camp Buckner. Image credit Viridi.

The second project will be a cadet-led, year-long capstone research effort.

“The Army’s commitment to innovation and sustainability inspires us all, and we are honored to contribute to its mission of excellence,” Viridi CEO Jon M. Williams said in a statement.

The military academy’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) department metered the system during the training to assess the feasibility of energy storage system performance in field operations.

“We are excited to work with Viridi using cutting-edge energy storage systems to implement and evaluate laboratory research in support of training and operations,” said. Lt. Col. Nicholas Barry, assistant professor at the academy’s EECS.

The Viridi RPS150 is a mobile energy storage system designed for use in industrial, medical, commercial, municipal, residential and military applications, the company said. The battery storage offers 146.7 kWH in nominal capacity, on and off-grid charging and discharging and about 3,000 cycles of lifespan.

The integration of energy storage systems in tactical military operations supports the Army’s goal of reducing fuel consumption and, thus, a reduction in logistical support requirements. Using the battery systems on-site also enables greater efficiency of integration for renewable energy and electrical generator sets, according to reports.

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The U.S. Army released a climate strategy and implementation plan for microgrid deployment in 2022. The military branch is aiming to build a microgrid at each of its 130 bases worldwide.

The U.S. Navy also included microgrids as part of its climate strategy. Microgrids are currently in operation at numerous military facilities, such as Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California, Marine Base Miramar near San Diego and the Air Force’s Yokota Air Base in Japan.

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About the Author

Rod Walton, Managing Editor | Managing Editor

For Microgrid Knowledge editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].

I’ve spent the last 15 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. I was an energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World before moving to business-to-business media at PennWell Publishing, which later became Clarion Events, where I covered the electric power industry. I joined Endeavor Business Media in November 2021 to help launch EnergyTech, one of the company’s newest media brands. I joined Microgrid Knowledge in July 2023.

I earned my Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. My career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World, all in Oklahoma . I have been married to Laura for the past 33-plus years and we have four children and one adorable granddaughter. We want the energy transition to make their lives better in the future.

Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech are focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.