POWER December 2021 - 13

GLOBAL MONITOR
cility, which is a similar solar PV and battery
storage installation. As with some
other microgrids across Puerto Rico, the
business model involves a contractor
building the system on behalf of a commercial
and industrial customer. In this
case, Enel X will build, own, and operate
the system on behalf of Eaton.
Enel X will finance the project under an
energy-as-a-service model, shifting Eaton's
investment in the microgrid system
from a capital to an operational expense.
Eaton will provide installation expertise
and key technologies for the microgrid
system, including the microgrid controller
and plant electrical distribution
equipment. In addition to increasing the
facility's resiliency, the solar-plus-storage
system will enable Eaton to generate,
store, and consume renewable energy,
and support the local grid by discharging
that renewable energy back to the grid,
reducing emissions by limiting the need
for carbon-intensive electricity during
peak demand periods.
The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau, an
energy regulator, in its latest integrated
resource plan mandates increased development
of microgrids and renewable energy
on the island, including at least 3.5
GW of solar power, and more than 1.3
GW of energy storage, by 2025. That in
part is driving some of the consideration
for microgrid design.
" Energy is becoming a far greater consideration
on location, " said Gob, asked
whether geography and local weather
enter into discussions about where to
site manufacturing plants. " The affordability
of solar PV and battery energy
storage systems are really giving manufacturers
options on how they select [locations].
Most manufacturing companies
... do have goals around improving their
carbon footprint, and so looking for ways
to do that is a definite consideration. "
Barnes noted three key considerations
for the microgrid design at Eaton's facilities:
" It delivers resiliency, it delivers cost
savings, and it delivers it in a sustainable
way. " He said the availability of solar
power in Puerto Rico means solar " just
makes sense " as an energy source, and
said " we talk a lot about how these microgrids
are here for the storms and the
aftermath of storms. It's also about helping
industrials meet those sustainability
targets the other 350 days of the year. "
-Darrell Proctor is a senior associate
editor for POWER.
POWER Digest
U.S. Air Force Will Site Microreactor in
Alaska. The U.S. Air Force has selected
Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska as the
site of its first stationary microreactor
pilot. The Air Force's microreactor pilot program
was initiated in response to the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2019 requirement to identify potential
locations to site, construct, and operate
a microreactor by the end of 2027. However,
it is different from a similar program
underway at the Department of Defense's
(DOD's) Strategic Capabilities Office under
" Project Pele. " While both projects propose
a 1- to 5-MWe microreactor, the microreactor
developed under Project Pele's specifications
will be a mobile microreactor that
will be deployed and tested at Idaho National
Laboratory. Currently, two reactor
designs (developed by BWXT Advanced
Technologies and X-energy) are under
consideration under Project Pele. The
Air Force plans to release a request for
proposals for its stationary microreactor
in February 2022, and vendor selection is
scheduled for late 2022. The Alaska-sited
microreactor may be commercially owned
and operated under a 30-year power purchase
agreement. ■
December 2021 | POWER
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POWER December 2021

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