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    Solar-Battery Storage Microgrid serving Energy Resiliency needs for San Pasqual Band tribal center

    June 20, 2022
    The microgrid includes a new 156.25 kW solar parking canopy and a 240 kW/480 kWh battery energy storage system (BESS), while also integrating two smaller rooftop solar systems that previously existed at the site
    San Pasqual 62b465bf31d0e

    A California native tribe is celebrating the commissioning and start of operations for a combined solar power and battery storage microgrid on their government grounds.

    Industria Power built the hybrid microgrid in partnership  with the host San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians (SPBMI). The Tribal Government Complex Microgrid is in Valley Center, Calif.

    The microgrid will help maintain energy resiliency for mission critical facilities such as the San Pasqual Tribal Hall, law enforcement, fire department, housing services and education buildings which also serve as community shelters.

    The microgrid includes a new 156.25 kW solar parking canopy and a 240 kW/480 kWh battery energy storage system (BESS), while also integrating two smaller rooftop solar systems that previously existed at the site.

    "This complex solar microgrid built for this community is a great example of self-sustainable energy in the region," said Ralph Ciarlanti III, CEO and President of Industria Power. "We want to thank our partners for their work and expertise as this project concludes. This project is 1 of 18 microgrids that we are deploying with the team at Gridscape Solutions."

    With microgrid controls provided by Gridscape Solutions, the system will supply solar energy to serve San Pasqual's electricity needs during the daytime, storing excess generation for use during peak-pricing periods, and providing reserve power for resilience against utility outages including Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) necessitated by wildfire dangers.

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    During a grid power outage, the microgrid enters islanded mode and powers the entire site from the combination of solar production and energy stored in the batteries. San Pasqual also plans to integrate a new liquefied petroleum-fueled generator into the system in the near future.

    The San Pasqual Band’s complex is near the city of San Diego, which itself is embracing microgrid development for renewable energy transition and resiliency. Last year, the city approved development of eight microgrids.

    Those will be owned and operated by Shell New Energies US under a 25-year agreement. The eight microgrids on city facilities will include nearly 1 MW of solar power capacity and 2 MWh of battery storage and electric vehicle charging stations.

    Gridscape Solutions also is involved in that project, supported by a California Energy Commission grant.

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    (Rod Walton, senior editor for EnergyTech, is a 14-year veteran of covering the energy industry both as a newspaper and trade journalist. He can be reached at [email protected]).

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    About the Author

    Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor | Senior Editor

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

    Rod Walton has spent 15 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World. 

    EnergyTech is 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.

    He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023

    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.

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