Montgomery County activated two advanced microgrids for its Public Safety Headquarters (PSHQ) in Gaithersburg and Correctional Facility in Boyds on Wednesday, Oct. 24. The activation ceremony took place at 100 Edison Park Drive in Gaithersburg. The microgrids are on-site clean power generation systems, which permit both facilities to operate independently from the power grid to ensure continuity of operations in the event of a catastrophic storm or major power outage.
The completed project is provided through an innovative public-private partnership with Schneider Electric and Duke Energy Renewables that required no upfront costs for the County. The on-site power generation at these two sites is anticipated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to removing 1,400 cars from the road or planting 178,000 new trees.
The County ‘s PSHQ microgrid achieved Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER) certification from Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and is the first Maryland project and public safety headquarters to earn certification. PEER is the world’s first certification program that measures and improves power system performance and electricity infrastructure. Through certification, PEER recognizes industry leaders for improving efficiency and sustainability, day-to-day reliability and resilience in the face of severe events.
Given the Schneider Electric and Duke Energy Renewables public-private partnership made the project possible with no upfront capital costs, the County’s other budget priorities were not affected. As part of the agreement, Duke Energy Renewables will own and operate both microgrids with the assistance of Schneider Electric. The two advanced microgrids will produce over 11 million kWh per year with solar and combined heat and power.
The microgrids continue Montgomery County’s work of delivering superior government service with the smallest environmental footprint. Through energy efficiency, renewable energy investment and energy purchases, Montgomery County is a carbon-neutral government. The collective savings for county residents are expected to be $70 million over the next 20 years through energy efficiency improvements, negotiations with energy suppliers, and solar energy generation on County facilities.
Read more about the projects here.
