The team at PXiSE is thrilled to be recognized with Microgrid Knowledge’s Greater Good Award! The Santa Rosa Junior College Microgrid, powered by PXiSE’s Microgrid Controller, was selected by a panel of independent judges to receive the award for a grid-connected microgrid.
The behind-the-meter microgrid provides the 100-acre campus resilience in a region prone to outages because of wildfires and public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events. It offers a power management system that can operate critical facilities when the grid is down and includes an organizational continuance plan which prioritizes critical facilities and services including public safety, student support space, financial aid, and payroll. In addition, the plan categorizes secondary services, including classrooms where activities could more easily shift from in-person to online while prioritizing buildings that serve the most students year-round.
“The project shows the full potential of microgrids: improved resilience, reduced use of fossil fuels, ratcheted-up use of renewables (with a midterm goal of 100% use of renewables) and lower operating costs,” said Housley Carr, an awards judge and longtime energy journalist.
Aimed at spotlighting the humanitarian and societal benefits of microgrids, the Greater Good Awards were started by Microgrid Knowledge four years ago. The win highlights the cumulative efforts of not only Santa Rosa Junior College and PXiSE, but the strong partnership of vendors who brought the project to life, which includes Worley, Pacific Gas and Electric, Center for Sustainable Energy, California Energy Commission and Go Electric.
The project is a model for other campuses that aim to adopt more on-site renewable power and storage.
Download the Santa Rosa Jr. College Microgrid case study
