• Exclusive Content
  • Events
  • Endeavor Business Media Energy
    1. Microgrids

    Maryland Energy Administration awards $750K Microgrid grant to Frostburg State U.

    July 27, 2022
    Solar arrays will be installed across the campus, including rooftop, ground-mounted systems and a canopy over a parking lot that will include electric vehicle charging stations. A gas fuel cell system will co-generate combined heat and electric power.
    Image credit By XDPoet - Wikimedia Commons
    Frostburg State University's Communications Center
    Frostburg State University's Communications Center

    Frostburg State University has been awarded $750,000 in state funds to develop an on-campus microgrid incorporating solar and thermal power as well as e-Mobility infrastructure.

    The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) awarded FSU the grant from its Resilient Maryland Capital Development Pilot Program funds. The money will help build a clean energy power system to protect critical campus operations in the event of power outages or other energy disruptions.

    Frostburg State University officials have mulling the possibilities and challenges of a microgrid for the past two years.

    “We are excited for Maryland institutions like Frostburg that see the benefits of expanding sustained electrical power through this program,” said Dr. Mary Tung, Director of MEA. “In times of much needed emergency operation, it’s vital to ensure our communities protect our most at risk with the necessary energy resources.”

    See EnergyTech's coverage of Microgrids

    Our full coverage of the e-Mobility sector

    The Frostburg campus microgrid will incorporate several energy resources. Solar arrays will be installed across the campus, including rooftop, ground-mounted systems and a canopy over a parking lot that will include electric vehicle charging stations.

    A gas fuel cell system will co-generate combined heat and electric power. The system will heat water for campus use and also chilled water through an absorption chiller, according to the release. An advanced microgrid control system will help integrate all of the resources.

    Frostburg State is a public university educating more than 5,000 students at the campus. It was founded in the late 19th century.

    So far the Resilient Maryland capital and strategic energy investment fund has identified about 30 microgrid and other distributed energy potential projects across the state.

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton 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.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    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.

    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.