PECO Connecting Concord Township to Self-sustaining ‘Microgrid’

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PECO is planning to solve the issue of frequent power outages in Concord Township by installing a self-sustaining ‘microgrid’, writes Andrew Maykuth for Philly.com.

PECO Energy Co. has already asked the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for authorization to invest close to $35 million in an experimental microgrid, along the Route 1 corridor in Concordville.

The microgrid would work independently of the regional power grid to ensure that the area, which includes the Concord Township Municipal Complex, the fire station, a sewage-treatment plant, two medical facilities, and a retirement community, would still get power during an outage.

The newly installed system would consist of five two-megawatt natural-gas power generators, a 500-kilowatt solar array and two 100-kilowatt lithium-ion battery arrays. These would be placed at the township building and Concordville Fire Station with plans to also include an electric-vehicle charging station.

In addition to the microgrid, the utility will also upgrade the local distribution network to insure the grid can operate independently. As part of the project, existing power lines will be hardened to make them more resistant to storm damage.

Concord Township was selected for the pilot project due to its diverse customer base. PECO plans to recover the estimated $35 million cost through an increase of around 29 cents a month for residential electrical customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours.

Read more about the proposed microgrid at Philly.com by clicking here.

Top photo credit: electricity meters via photopin (license)

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