by Brianna Crandall — April 13, 2011—In efforts to provide a clean source of “green” power and control nearly any source of electrical power within an existing grid, Col. Douglas Mulbury, commander, U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii, recently hosted a formal ceremony and demonstration of the Army’s first-ever smart-charging micro grid.
The Smart-Charging Micro Grid, or SCMG, system consists of 25 kilowatts of solar power array, 200 kilowatt-hours of battery storage and four plug-in electric vehicles. The system powers four electric vehicles and has the ability to provide instant backup power to support three buildings for 72 hours, including the garrison headquarters.
Mulbury said the system utilizes a photovoltaic upgraded carport as a power management system to take advantage of abundant Hawaiian sunpower, totally independent of the commercial power grid. The pilot program is a prototype designed to help make the installation energy independent. The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC, along with private industry, created the prototype.
