Jamestown BPU webinar on proposed microgrid grant application (March 23, 2023)
The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities has received a $17.3 million grant for its proposed microgrid project.
The funding is from the United States Department of Energy and requires match funding of $5.7 million from the BPU. The funds are part of the DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program.
The monies will be used to construct a microgrid, electric vehicle charging, battery storage and replacement of underground cabling. BPU Transmission and Distribution Manager Kris Sellstrom said at a presentation in March that the microgrid would serve the downtown area, including government and public safety building, healthcare facilities, and some Jamestown school buildings.
He said then that the microgrid would help prevent against regional power outages.
The microgrid will ensure that energy will be delivered to public services, the hospital, designated emergency shelters, schools and other businesses as well as to make certain that electric vehicles could be charged during an emergency.
The proposed microgrid system would take advantage of the BPU’s existing gas turbine, its network of underground circuits, the district heating system and the addition of a black start battery storage system.
The core area of downtown Jamestown will either remain in electrical and thermal service or experience only a brief outage in a disruptive event if the microgrid is in place. The microgrid will enable most of the community’s first responders and critical services to operate more efficiently in case of a major interruption of service during a disastrous event.
The award negotiation process is expected to take approximately 120 days before commencement of the project may occur and follow a five-year project timeline.
Leave a Reply