NC, UNITED STATES -- Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune awarded a $22 million utility energy service contract (UESC) to Duke Energy for the design and construction of a microgrid at the installation. The award leverages Energy Resilience Conservation Investment Program (ERCIP) funding to install a microgrid at Camp Johnson - a critical education and training area at MCB Camp Lejeune. The microgrid includes upgraded electrical infrastructure, 5 megawatts (MW) of on-site natural gas-fired generation, a 5.4 MW battery energy storage system, integration of an existing solar photovoltaic system and a microgrid controller to provide demand management, black start and islanding capability.
“The Marine Corps is investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure to position installations to prevent, recover and survive a prolonged loss of electrical service from weather and climate related events,” explained Marine Corps Installations Command Public Works Director Walter Ludwig. “This UESC award is a major step towards furthering the reliability, resilience and efficiency of Camp Lejeune’s electrical infrastructure and on-site generation capabilities.”
While many installations have backup generators, microgrids provide a more sophisticated generation source; microgrids enable operators to manage the power load and everything plugged into the grid, while redirecting power to critical missions that require an uninterruptable energy supply during an unplanned power outage.
As the largest installation in the Marine Corps, Camp Lejeune makes up nearly 20% of the Marine Corps’ installation energy consumption. This project will reduce energy demand and consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs at the installation by replacing failed solar photovoltaic system inverters and installing lighting upgrades.
Currently, the Marine Corps has microgrid capabilities aboard five of its installations. MCB Camp Lejeune’s microgrid is expected to be completed by March 2025.
For additional information, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/MCICOM.
For further information on MCICOM, visit https://www.mcicom.marines.mil/.