Ameresco will install a solar+storage microgrid system at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey as part of a $140 million investment in resiliency and energy efficiency measures.
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy executed a comprehensive $92 million second phase designed to add more onsite solar power, energy efficiency measures, and infrastructure upgrades to an initial $48 million task order issued in 2021 for on-site solar generation.
The total solar capacity to be deployed amounts to 32 MW—one of the largest solar PV installations that Ameresco has installed at a federal site. Ameresco is also installing a 2MW/4MWh battery energy storage system and integrating the solar, storage, and backup generation assets within the new microgrid.
The pairing of distributed energy generation systems with BESS and microgrid controls is designed to assure the base’s access to uninterrupted power in support of JBMDL’s critical missions.
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In addition to the integration of distributed energy resources and microgrid controls, the project is designed to achieve energy demand reductions through more than 90,000 LED fixture retrofits, wireless streetlighting controls, and advanced interior lighting controls. Overall, the Phase 2 ECMs are designed to generate more than $4.7 million in annual energy savings for JBMDL, a total energy usage reduction of 22%.
The Phase 2 construction is scheduled to begin shortly and reach completion in early 2025.
Ameresco has served as an energy services provider to JBMDL for more than a decade, completing an initial ESPC project at the base in 2012 and supporting operations and maintenance on the systems since their completion.
