The Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Bridgeport (MWTC) is a mountain warfare training center whose mission is to conduct Marine Air Ground Task Force exercises, develop warfighting doctrine, and support research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) of equipment for use in mountain warfare operations. Readiness is dependent on having a reliable and resilient energy infrastructure.
Achieving energy readiness in Bridgeport is challenging for two (2) primary reasons. First, the installation is the last customer on the Southern California Edison (SCE) utility feed. Second, the base is located in an unforgiving, remote, and arduous area of the Sierra Mountains in California. Every year, the base experiences power outages due to extreme snowfall, sub-zero temperatures, forest fires, heat waves, power quality issues, and other planned and unplanned utility grid events. The base regularly operates for minutes up to weeks, off a single generator with aged infrastructure and inadequate controls. This is a significant vulnerability.
Bridgeport is addressing these issues with project P-480. The project focuses on enhancing the reliability and redundancy of the electrical distribution system and enhancing resiliency. The end state of this project is a reliable, resilient, efficient, and cybersecure microgrid that will provide the base the ability to operate critical installation services and mission essential functions off the grid for several weeks with N+1 redundancy. Below is the project:
P-481
The project must provide a 1 MW generator to increase resilience of base-wide backup system. This generator will augment the renewable energy system, meet the complete power needs of the installation, and provide N+1 redundancy to the existing 1 MW generator. This1 MW generator will primarily run during times of extended island mode, and in support of the DERs, to maximize renewable production and extend available fuel supply. This level of redundancy is crucial to ensure continuity of operations during sub-zero temperature events and during fires when SCE has grid outages.
The project must provide 500 kW of solar photovoltaics. The PV systems must connect to the microgrid. The PV must work in conjunction with the BESS to maximize the use of renewable power. In addition, the configuration will allow the base to continue producing, consuming, and charging the BESS with PV-generated electricity, even when MWTC is disconnected from the SCE grid.
The project must supply additional electrical infrastructure to accommodate the additional distributed sources throughout the installation. This includes providing conductors, coordinating with SCE, installing disconnects and other requirements to successfully interconnect the additional sources to the grid. These upgrades are required for the installation of the additional PV assets described above to connect to the grid and offset utility costs or extend duration while islanded.
The control system that modernizes the equipment must permit synchronization of the SCE power source, two (2) generators, and the BESS along with the PV; the control system must improve power quality and must allow for the installation to remain off SCE power (island) by utilizing power generated from the generators, BESS, and photovoltaic systems on the installation. Currently, photovoltaic systems are not utilized when SCE power is removed and must be manually turned on. The control system must automatically utilize PV even upon loss of SCE power. The control system shall integrate with the point of common coupling and allow for transition between sources of power in order to minimize the installation's loss of power from a utility outage. During periods which the installation is not connected to SCE (islanded), the control system must regulate the output of the photovoltaic systems at the multipurpose building (Building 4044) to stabilize the installation's distribution grid and maintain a minimum load on the generator. In order to utilize the multipurpose building's (Building 4044) photovoltaic systems output after loss of utility power, a fiber optic cable connection must be provided from the controls in Building 2003 to the photovoltaic system.
The project must provide microgrid control functions and equipment required to perform these functions. Advanced controls on all DERs must be provided to expand the microgrid and increase system telemetry throughout buildings to increase efficiency and control loads during grid-tied and islanded operations. The controls will provide capabilities including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Smart controls capable of taking input from the upstream sensors and automatically engaging the necessary DERs to detect, signal and automatically engage the necessary controls and equipment to ensure a continuous flow of clean electric power to the installation, preventing outages and power fluctuations that can be damaging to electrical and electronic equipment, thereby reducing maintenance and repair costs.
(b) providing grid-interactive economic opportunities to produce savings by taking advantage of varying utility rates throughout the day and year.
(c) Implement programmed operation modes to optimize base operations based on conditions such as maximum duration, mission-support or normal day-to-day operations.
(d) Communications capabilities to promptly and automatically notify personnel if the control system changes system operations, such as when responding to an incoming power fluctuation and engaging installation DERs.
The project is to provide and Energy Management Information System (EMIS). The energy management information system (EMIS) must integrate the DDC, AMI, and, microgrid monitoring and control in a single historian, with access to a single software suite for visualization, analytics, and fault detection. This will allow operators to view data in a customized way and be alerted to maintenance needs, energy savings opportunities, and understand interactions between systems that would be otherwise unknown.
The project must provide a building to house all of the associated microgrid, building, AMI and any other related utility controls, control/monitoring stations, databases/servers and support personnel. This building is to provide central monitoring/control area for all facility related control systems and equipment including servers, communication nodes and operator interfaces.
This project includes engineering calculations and studies as required by FC1-300-09N. However, the coordination, load flow and arc flash studies must determine the best scheme and protection of the entire microgrid for both grid-tied and islanded operations during the design. These studies inform the required electrical upgrades, generate required arc-flash labels, and provide documentation for SCE.
This project must provide training, simulation, and documentation. This includes a complete package of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and emergency operating procedures (EOPs) and in-depth training on the system capabilities, operations, functions, etc. Electronic operation, maintenance, and sustainment instruction (eOMSI) manuals for the EMIS and microgrid system, detailing the operation, commissioning, and maintenance of the system must be proviced. The contractor will also provide a simulated environment for the system for training operators, testing upgrades and performing what-if scenarios. The contractors will prepare maintenance schemes, providing maintenance cost, energy cost, manpower and expected equipment reliability data for all developed maintenance schemes. MWTC facilities leadership will determine which scheme to implement, but all developed schemes will be detailed and delivered to MWTC facilities leadership. The manuals will detail system modes from fully automatic to manual, describe how to perform outage drills, and provide detailed information on efficiency when operating in a prescribed mode. A complete mirrored system, "sandbox" environment will be provided to assist with training and to ensure that system changes (such as patching) will not affect system operation. These documents will help ensure the installation maintains the best possible technologically-advanced maintenance plan at the lowest possible cost while maintaining equipment and system reliability and energy conservation.
Cybersecurity is critical to implementing this project. Certification and Accreditation is required for all FRCSs included in this project. The control systems (including systems separate from an energy management control system) will be designed, acquired and executed in accordance with DoDI 8500.01, DoDI 8510.01, Department of Defense Risk Management Framework (RMF) per UFC 4-010-06, Cybersecurity of Facility-Related Control systems, and UFC 1-200-01, General Building Requirements Section 3-6.5, and other relevant FRCS cybersecurity requirements. All equipment installed (hardware and software) will be open protocol, have the ability to connect to existing and future systems, and will include the proper firewalls. Upon project completion, the MWTC will have an authority to operate (ATO), and a functional and cybersecure FRCSs.
Option 1: Provide an additional 500kW of solar photovoltaics. This would increase the Base Bid solar photovoltaic production from 500kW to 1MW.
Option 2: Provide an additional 500kW of solar photovoltaics. This would increase the Base Bid (500kW) and Option 1 (500kW) solar photovoltaic production to 1.5MW.
Option 3: Provide an additional 500kW of solar photovoltaics. This would increase the Base Bid (500kW), Option 1 (500kW), and Option 2 (500kW) solar photovoltaic production to 2MW.
Option 4: Provide a building to house all of the associated microgrid, building controls, AMI and any other related utility controls, control/monitoring stations, databases/servers and support personnel. This building is to provide central monitoring/control area for all facility related control systems and equipment including servers, communication nodes and operator interfaces.
Option 5: The project must Provide 500 kW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to augment the BESS installed from another project. Provide an additional 3 MWh of energy. Expand grid-facing energy storage system, which will work in conjunction with distributed energy resources (DERs), to allow the continuous flow of clean power to the MWTC grid. The BESS must allow the MWTC to be entirely powered by renewable energy during most daylight hours, making MWTC a model of resilience in a cold weather environment. During a multi-day winter outage, the storage will balance load and generation between the PV and the new 1 MW generator. While grid connected, the storage will be used to manage peak demand and support the SCE grid by responding to frequency and voltage transients. Furthermore, stabilizing the grid locally might reduce the likelihood of an outage. The system will disconnect if an unstable grid is detected.
