Maia CheliOn January 30-31, we held a technical team kickoff for the Redwood Coast Airport Renewable Energy Microgrid. Wednesday’s agenda included tariff structures, establishing a business case for microgrids, and plans for outreach and knowledge transfer. We also made a site visit to the airport, hosted by Cody Roggatz, Humboldt County’s Director of Aviation. On Thursday, the team described and further developed operational and technical details for the microgrid’s design and construction, including cybersecurity. Participants included the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA), the County of Humboldt, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Schweitzer Engineering Labs, TRC, and The Energy Authority.
Groundbreaking on the microgrid is scheduled for spring of 2020, with commissioning and full operation anticipated in December 2020. We have applied to PG&E for three new service agreements and will shortly file applications for a wholesale distribution tariff interconnection and a NEM2A interconnection. We also continue to work with permitting requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration for non-aeronautical use of airport land, and to facilitate RCEA’s application for match funding via a loan from the US Department of Agriculture.
This complex project involves multiple owners and intersecting government agencies, a utility and a community choice aggregator, and a broad spectrum of technical partners. We are grateful for the expertise and commitment given from all of these collaborators toward the creation of an innovative, multi-customer, front of the meter, renewable energy microgrid.
- Learn more about the Redwood Coast Airport microgrid design…
- The Redwood Coast Airport Renewable Energy Microgrid is funded in part by the California Energy Commission through its Electric Program Investment Charge.
