IPERC, a provider of intelligent microgrid control solutions, was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense to design and commission a 5.3MW energy microgrid at Camp Smith, HI. IPERC’s intelligence software and hardware are designed to help provide continuous power for mission-critical operations for the Navy’s Pacific Command headquarters. The $3 million, two-year contract award constitutes Phase III of the DoD’s Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD).
The SPIDERS project is a joint effort between the DoD, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Department of Homeland Security to model cyber-secure microgrid solutions that enhance continuity of operations at DoD bases in the face of electrical power disruptions. The project aims to test potential microgrid architectures that reliably integrate renewable energy, effective energy storage, and cybersecurity while reducing fuel consumption and reliance on the utility grid.
As a component to the SPIDERS project, IPERC will host cybersecurity assessments at its full-scale microgrid facility. Testing will include attempts by the military’s own cyber-warfare experts to penetrate the system. Previous tests of this kind, known as “Red Team” attacks, have demonstrated the resilience and integrity of IPERC’s solution, according to the company.
The SPIDERS Phase I microgrid came online in January 2013 and powers a single feeder at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Oahu, HI, including a critical wastewater treatment plant. Phase II serves the Army’s 4th Infantry Division Headquarters at Fort Carson, CO and integrates the utility grid, generators, photovoltaic solar arrays, and first-of-their-kind, bi-directional electric vehicles. In Phase III, the microgrid will encompass the entire installation at Camp Smith, HI, allowing operational continuity with or without power from the local electric utility. This design integrates seven generators, several battery-based energy storage systems, and over 30 major circuit breakers.
“One of the key benefits of the IPERC system is that it easily integrates power from diverse sources,” says John Carroll, IPERC’s Business Development Director. “You can bring in power from the conventional utility network, along with generators and renewables like solar or wind. Since the system ‘thinks’ for itself, you’re going to use energy as efficiently as possible, from the most appropriate sources.”
Source: IPERC
