Mary-Louise Hoffman
Ameresco‘s federal group has received a contract to install a battery energy storage system on the U.S. Army’s solar field at Fort Detrick in Maryland.
The company said Wednesday it will work with the Defense Logistics Agency’s energy organization to carry out the 6 megawatt BESS deployment project and estimates the new system will help the military branch save $125,000 in annual utility costs.
Fort Detrick houses 59,994 solar panels designed and built by Ameresco under a 26-year renewable energy supply agreement the Army awarded in 2015.
The facility powers 12 percent of the garrison’s annual electric load requirement.
“This installation ties in the renewable energy generation from the existing solar arrays to a system that will allow the base to be microgrid-ready, ultimately creating a more resilient and future-energy ready base,” said Nicole Bulgarino, executive vice president and general manager of the federal solutions business at Ameresco.
The battery storage, which is scheduled for early 2023 completion, will function as a demand response asset and offer frequency regulation to independent system operator PJM.
