Redflow to provide microgrid system for US Department of Defense

Australian clean energy storage company Redflow Limited has announced, along with Ameresco, Inc., a US cleantech integrator specialising in energy efficiency and renewable energy, that it has signed a US$2.83 million contract with the United States Department of Defense’s (DOD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to deliver a prototype microgrid.

Redflow will partner with Ameresco for its subcontracted engineering to deliver the microgrid project. The project, which aims to extend the duration of energy storage for existing installations, will repower a solar-powered microgrid currently located at the Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York state.

The repowered microgrid project scope will integrate Redflow’s 1.2–1.4 MWh long-duration energy storage (LDES) solution, enabling the microgrid to provide a dispatchable solar-plus-storage resource for peak shaving and energy resilience.

Redflow’s solution will demonstrate the company’s zinc-bromide scalable flow batteries at MWh scale and restore microgrid-controllable renewables at a military industrial scale for integration for the Air Force base, with the objective of delivering a stronger base of power for improved returns on existing investments to enhance resilience.

This project comes from Redflow’s selection for participation in DIU’s Extended Duration Storage for Installations program. The program is designed to match innovative LDES technologies to projects that demonstrate additional technological capability by providing energy resilience and power backup across the DOD’s more than 450 global bases.

“We are proud to have been selected as the energy storage technology provider for this US Department of Defense microgrid project,” said Redflow CEO and Managing Director Tim Harris. “We have been working with the Defense Innovation Unit for the past year to support their energy resilience objectives across the military’s global operations. To be selected as the solution provider is validation that Redflow’s LDES solutions hold the potential to deliver significant benefits to US Department of Defense installations worldwide.”

“This groundbreaking microgrid project at Stewart Air National Guard Base exemplifies the deployment of innovative technologies to deliver resilient, sustainable solutions at US military installations,” said Nicole Bulgarino, Executive Vice President, Ameresco. “Together with Redflow, we’re energised to witness how this microgrid will bolster base resilience and set new standards for clean energy advancement, inspiring a green and resilient future for US Department of Defense installations worldwide.”

If successful, the solution could be rolled out across numerous US Department of Defense facilities and critical infrastructure around the world. Deployment and commissioning of the system is planned for the second half of 2024.

Image courtesy of Redflow.