Microgrid Project Set To Insure Power Flow To Police, Fire Facilities On Amnicola Highway; Solar Is Integral Part

The city and EPB are partnering in a new "Power To Protect" at police and fire facilities along Amnicola Highway.

 

Officials said the new collaborative microgrid project "represents another major step forward in the city's ongoing commitment to public safety, emergency response, and resilience." 

 

The project aims to increase resilience and redundancy of power supply to the public safety agencies via on-site solar arrays, traditional backup generation, battery storage and a microgrid controller.

 

Officials said, "While the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and EPB already provide some of the greatest energy reliability in the country, an ever-increasing potential for natural and man-made disruptions requires investment in additional fortification for our most critical services.

 

"Power to Protect does this by being able to provide continuous power supply to the site for many days on end (five), even if the main supply has been disrupted and the sun refuses to shine, given the diversity of assets provided by the project.

 

"As a plus, on an average year, over a third of the raw power supply to the public safety operations here on Amnicola Highway will be provided by solar. This adds to the already 60 percent carbon-free TVA generation mix powering the site, putting the total annual carbon-free footprint at over 72 percent.

 

The project is due to start April 28 and be completed by Oct. 30.