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SPOTLIGHT: ENERGY EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES

Next Generation Microgrids–Is Camp
Pendleton The Most Advanced in the World?

Realcomm Staff

Microgrids have been on our radar at RealComm for sev- extraordinary, with multiple microgrids strategically arranged to
eral years now. We knew there was a viable relationship follow a fractal or recursive pattern. Concentrated and PV solar,
between Microgrids and smart buildings & campuses. combined with an advanced flywheel storage system, utilization
After all, why wouldn’t forward-thinking companies want to take a state-of-the-art enterprise management platform based on the
advantage of all the benefits of a Microgrid for their commercial Intercontinental Ballistic Missile System ICBM (needed for almost
and corporate real estate projects? instantaneous response), all tightly integrated into smart building
automation systems.
Brand new technologies often start out as a trend, the ‘next
new thing’. There was speculation that The result was possibly the most advanced microgrid / smart
the energy around microgrids was building project in the world, which generated 140% of the
coming from a large influx of capital required electricity for the project.
from state and local governments, as Executive Overview:
well as the utilities. Like many new ideas, Achievements
microgrids rose in popularity and then The Camp Pendleton FractalGrid Demonstration (CPFD) Project
suddenly disappeared. After the hype provides uninterrupted power to loads within a subset of the 52
phase died down, the topic of microgrids Area boundary. Upon demand, FractalGrid units are able to island
did not disappear, but rather the noise themselves from parent grids, including the utility grid, without
went away and the serious got down to
work.

One aspect that seemed ambiguous
was defining what micro-
grids actually are; there are
many different names and
interpretations. Are they
simply local co-genera-
tion systems, or a radical
augmentation? In extreme
cases, could they replace
the current electric grid
operated by the utilities?

There is a definite need
for microgrids and they
have a unique relationship
with smart buildings if we really want to achieve the ultimate
efficiency for the built environment.

Microgrid Tour: Optimizing Efficiency
Early this year, we were invited to tour the FractalGrid
Demonstration project at Camp Pendleton. A very advanced
project conceived over ten years ago, this project was completed
in partnership with the private sector and the Navy. The goal
was simple: to make sure Camp Pendleton would remain fully
functional in the event of a utility grid interruption. The result was

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