The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs have announced the winners of the second round of Microgrids for Community Resilience (MCR) awards.
The MCR grant program was created by Colorado House Bill 22-1013 with the express purpose of building community resilience through the development of microgrids.
More than $2.1 million in state funding was presented in this round to projects across three categories: planning, construction (microgrid-tied generation) and construction (storage/controller).
Microgrid battery and controller projects received significant funding
The Poudre Valley Rural Electric Authority (PVREA) was the big winner, receiving nearly $900,000 for its Livermore microgrid storage project. PVREA will use the funds to install a 350-kW/1200-kWh battery and microgrid controller that will serve the ranching community of Livermore, which is about 100 miles north of Denver. The microgrid will provide essential services during extreme weather events and grid outages.
United Power, a member-owned electric cooperative that serves Colorado’s north-central Front Range, received the second largest award, securing just over $700,000 to install microgrid batteries at fire stations in disadvantaged communities. The batteries will provide resilience to four fire stations during power outages.
The Platte River Power Authority received $350,000 to support the installation of a 5-MW/20-MWh battery, a critical component of the Estes Park Storage Microgrid Project. The microgrid will provide resilience to critical facilities like the Estes Park Hospital and the Estes Valley Fire Protection District, which has been called on in recent years to battle wildfires around Estes Park, the primary gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Smaller awards also announced
Round two of the Microgrids for Community Resilience awards also financed a number of smaller projects including:
$83,750 to the San Miguel Power Association for a 74-kWh microgrid battery storage system at the Community Communications Resilience office in Ridgway.
$46,900, also to the San Miguel Power Association, to install a 4.8-kW solar array and 38-kWh battery storage microgrid at the Decker Community Room, also in Ridgway. The microgrid is designed to provide backup power for a day and a half.
$32,160 to the town of Springfield to explore microgrid and backup power opportunities.
Colorado looks to advance microgrid development
The state of Colorado recently released its Colorado Roadmap draft materials, which include a draft Microgrid Road Map, Critical Facility Prioritization Guide and Critical Facility Prioritization tool.
Comments on these documents will be accepted through Aug. 1. Comments can be submitted either in writing or at one of three stakeholder engagement meetings, which will be held next week.
Additionally, the Colorado Resiliency Office (CRO) and the CEO are launching a pilot program called “Community-led Critical Infrastructure and Facility Prioritization.” The CRO and CEO are looking for communities and utilities to participate.
Those selected for the pilot will receive four to 12 hours of support from the CRO and CEO, including an in-person workshop and technical assistance. Details can be found here.
