Wisconsin PSC awards $915,000 for microgrid and community resilience center studies

A total of $915,265 in grand awards were issued to 15 recipients last week by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC), to test the feasibility of critical infrastructure microgrids and community resilience centers (CIMCRC) and as part of a larger pre-disaster mitigation push.

“Supporting efforts to develop energy security and resiliency strategies for Wisconsin communities are essential to protect residents, businesses, and critical services from severe weather events and other grid interruptions,” PSC Chairperson Rebecca Cameron Valcq said. “I am hopeful that these feasibility studies will stimulate local leaders across the state to learn from other communities and further develop Wisconsin’s knowledge and planning in the area of Critical Infrastructure and Community Resilience Centers.”

The awards and their recipients could be divided into three activities: a Critical Infrastructure Microgrid Feasibility Study Level One and Two, a Critical Infrastructure Microgrid Feasibility Study Level 3 and a Community Resilience Center Feasibility Study. Each project will study the feasibility of pursuing renewable energy, storage and grid-interactive controls for preparedness and resiliency efforts at critical facilities.

Recipients of the level one and two study include Aurora Health Care Inc.; Bayfield County; the cities of Eau Claire and Madison; and the Heart of the Valley Metropolitan Sewer District. For the level three study, recipients include Appleton International Airport, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the town of La Pointe. As to the community resilience center study, participants will include: the cities of Middleton and Sun Prairie; the city of Florence’s Utility Commission; Millennium Economic Development Corp; Sauk Prairie Police Commission; SEPA; the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System; and the Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp.

In addition to funding from the state, awards will be matched by $611,438 from recipients. Applications had been open from June 28, 2021 to Aug. 6, 2021.