Converge Strategies Service
Project Development and Facilitation
Areas of Impact
Department Of Defense Energy Resilience
In Short
Can you teach an old power plant new tricks?
We helped the military figure out if its solar energy systems could be used for resilience
Why It Matters
- The Department of Defense (DoD) relies on diesel generators for back-up power, which don’t work well during the long-term power outages that the military is concerned about.
- DoD has installed hundreds of renewable energy projects, but they aren’t configured to supply power when the grid goes down.
- In the age of extreme weather and cyber warfare, Is the military sitting on a huge and untapped source of back-up power?
- There is no standard way to assess whether and how existing clean energy systems can be upgraded for resilience.
What It Is
We worked with DoD to analyze the resilience potential of its clean energy power plants.
We developed a repeatable process to quickly evaluate resilience opportunities, and then demonstrated that process in the field.
Our Impact
We developed a first-of-a-kind methodology for reviewing the resilience potential of existing renewable energy assets.
We studied the feasibility of turning existing solar projects at an Air Force base into microgrids, taking into account engineering, cybersecurity, financial, and legal considerations.
Our Partners
This project was funded through the Department of Defense (DoD)’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). Converge Strategies worked in partnership with Idaho National Laboratory, Holland & Knight, Stem, CleanCapital, and KPS, LLC.
Resources
Here are the reports, articles, blogs, or any public deliverables produced because of this work.