New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approves microgrid feasibility studies in 13 town centers
Proposed microgrids in more than a dozen parts of New Jersey are making forward steps with $2,052,480 feasibility study approval from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities last week.
Among these, examples include Galloway Township, where a proposed microgrid would connect a Town Center Distributed Energy Resource with critical facilities. In Cape May County, the grid would connect 17 such facilities. All such microgrids are meant to improve storm resiliency among areas in danger of storm-induced power outages, using such technologies as fuel cells, solar, battery energy storage systems, combined heat and power, thermal loops and water exchanges.
“As we learned from Superstorm Sandy, keeping diverse critical facilities such as medical centers, police and fire departments, shelters and schools powered and operational is critical during a natural disaster,” Board President Richard S. Mroz said. “I’m excited to get the feasibility studies started for this Galloway town center microgrid and the other 12 proposed microgrids as the final reports will provide great detail on options concerning designs, connections, financing options and the types of buildings to be included in a town center microgrid.”
All of this stems from that storm’s effects. Back in 2015, the state’s Energy Master Plan Update contained a section specifically on hardening and improving utility infrastructure resiliency. Microgrids are a potential part of this.
Among those put forward last week, the Cape May County project is unique, however. Mroz notes that it would use biogas produced by the CMCMUA Seven Mile Beach facility as an on-site energy source. The Combined Heat and Power system would be useable for both non-emergency and emergency situations.
“We have all been very humbled by the size and strength of coastal storms,” Don Purdy, mayor of Galloway Township, said. “As we’ve seen and experienced, they have the potential to cause severe destruction.Having some redundancy to our electrical systems will greatly improve our ability to provide critical services to our community.”
The estimated time frame for these feasibility studies is 12 months.
