1. Center for Earth and Environmental Science
Plattsburgh, New York 12901
State University of New York College at Plattsburgh
Introduction
We sought to assist SUNY Plattsburgh personnel and Willdan Energy Solutions (Willdan) assess the feasibility of
installing a community microgrid in Plattsburgh, NY. A microgrid is a distributed energy system capable of supplying energy to
connected facilities in its ‘island mode’, in which the system operates separately from the macrogrid. This study was conducted
within the context of the New York Prize competition, administered by the New York State Energy Research Authority
(NYSERDA), with support from the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, to promote community resiliency in extenuating
circumstances in New York State. Communities take part in this funding competition by submitting reports in stages to the NY
Prize Selection Committee. Stage one applicants were to submit a report by May 2015 identifying site constraints,
opportunities, and value to stakeholders as well as preliminary projections of the microgrid’s design, management plan, and
budget. Participants in stage one were eligible to be awarded up to $100,000 to hire consultants to conduct the study. Drs.
Gervich and Eastwood submitted a proposal to the Selection Committee outlining potential opportunities and challenges of
connecting the facilities of SUNY Plattsburgh, Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, Meadowbrook Nursing Home, Vilas
Nursing Home and Plattsburgh High School to a shared microgrid. The Plattsburgh Housing Authority was added as a partner
later in the project. (See Figure 1.) SUNY Plattsburgh was awarded $100,000 and hired Willdan to complete the study.
The opportunities of having Plattsburgh’s anchor institutions become more resilient are numerous, but the
challenges are notable, including Plattsburgh’s electricity procurement contracts. The City of Plattsburgh is allocated 104.35
MW of electricity from the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The vast majority of this allotment is comprised of hydroelectric
power, with some natural gas and nuclear. This allotment is usually capable of meeting Plattsburgh’s energy needs, however,
during exceptionally cold winters, Plattsburgh may go over its allotment, prompting Plattsburgh Municipal Lighting Department
(PMLD) to purchase electricity at higher prices. However, the NYPA allocation is usually adequate, making the overage costs
to be a minor issue. In addition to assisting Willdan and SUNY faculty collect load and financial data, we investigated additional
drivers and consequences of hosting a community microgrid that can’t be derived from load and financial data. We held a
community forum to educate the public about our project and to understand their aspirations and concerns about the proposed
microgrid.
Results
The facilities to be served by the microgrid were chosen on the basis of proximity to one another, the vulnerability
of their population and the potential to be of service to the community during an emergency that included a prolonged power
outage. Some have full diesel fueled emergency backup, some partial and some none (Figure 1, Table 1). While the high
school would simply shut down during such an event, it is designated as a Red Cross Emergency Shelter for the community.
The SUNY Plattsburgh Field House is also designated as such. Neither have emergency back up power, so in the event that
the outage was within the PMLD, they would not be useful. The hospital is mandated to have 96 hours of backup capability
on site. The Vilas home has sufficient capacity to maintain full load. Meadowbrook’s backup covers ~80% of load. Backup
generators at these three locations could function indefinitely as long as fuel delivery is not hindered. Evacuation would be
necessary if fuel were not available and would involve significant expenses and logistical concerns due to the distance to
transport patients and residents to shelters outside the affected area. The population of the Housing Authority is low-income
and predominantly senior. There is minimal backup capacity and residents would have to evacuate the high rise for fire
safety reasons during all seasons and the low rise during winter, as electric heat would be unavailable.
Methods, continued
The objectives of the feasibility study were broken into five “tasks”, the findings of each of which were submitted to
NYSERDA as they were completed. Each successive task built off of the last further developing the benefit-cost analysis. The
first task consisted of preliminary assessment of average and peak loads of the critical infrastructure to be served by the
microgrid, current grid infrastructure, and potential improvements that could be made by the microgrid (Willdan Energy
Solutions, 2016, Task 1). In task 2 a preliminary configuration and cost/benefit analysis was developed for the microgrid.
Costs and benefits resulting from the configuration were estimated to a degree of accuracy of +/- 30% (Willdan Energy
Solutions, 2016, Task 2). The impact of new Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), metering technology, and
IT/communication technology were predicted using DER-CAM. Task 3 analyzed the business plans associated with microgrid
including the role of SUNY Plattsburgh and other stakeholders as well as commercial, financial, and legal viability of the
microgrid (Willdan Energy Solutions, 2016, NY Prize Proposal). Task 4 consisted of gathering all information required by
NYSERDA for a NY Prize benefit-cost analysis. Task 5 consolidated and synthesized all results from tasks 1-4 for a final
conclusion on the feasibility of the microgrid.
In addition to the quantitative data collected by engineers, a community forum held at CVPH was utilized to gather
qualitative data concerning the priorities and interests of the SUNY Plattsburgh and City of Plattsburgh communities regarding
energy distribution and emergency preparedness. In order to elicit informed concerns and opinions, the forum was aimed to
educate community members on the City of Plattsburgh’s current electrical service and the changes that the proposed
microgrid would introduce. The forum was organized and moderated in part by students and was part of the student education
component of the feasibility study. Throughout the course of the feasibility study students were included in meetings with
engineers, SUNY Plattsburgh administrators, and critical infrastructure facilities. Through these meetings students learned
about different aspects of the feasibility study including requirements and aspirational goals of each facility, the commercial
and financial viability of the project, and the how DER-CAM is used to produce benefit cost-analyses. Weekly meetings with
professors kept students informed on status of the feasibility study and to prepare for the forum. A graduate student operated
as an intern for Willdan and was responsible for gathering and organizing data from critical infrastructure partners to be
utilized in documents submitted to NYSERDA.
NYSERDA NY Prize Community Microgrid Feasibility Study
Abstract
SUNY Plattsburgh and Willdan Energy Solutions (Willdan) have assessed the feasibility of building and maintaining a
community microgrid in Plattsburgh. The feasibility study was funded by a $100,000 grant from New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) as part of the New York Prize competition. The community microgrid,
having to comply with standards set by NYSERDA, would link several facilities considered to be critical public infrastructure
(SUNY Plattsburgh and other community partners) to a central combined heat and power (CHP) facility and other distributed
energy resources (DER), including renewable energy infrastructure, in order to improve energy reliability and resiliency in
outage events. Engineers from Willdan used Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model (DER-CAM) supported
by data from the community partners to model economic, environmental, and (community) resilience-related costs and
benefits of the proposed microgrid. As an educational component, three undergraduate students attended meetings with
engineers and community partners and helped organize a community forum to collect quantitative data about the city and
college communities’ aspirations related to electricity distribution and emergency preparedness in the City of Plattsburgh. In
addition to assisting in these tasks, a graduate student interned for Willdan to assist in collecting quantitative data from
community partners. The results of the cost-benefit analysis stated that projected benefits would outweigh costs by 10%.
However, the projected rise in electricity costs do not take into account the contract the City of Plattsburgh has with New York
Power Authority (NYPA) which provides the city with mostly emission-free hydro-electric power at a low price. Consideration
of difficult-to-quantify outage-related costs and community health and security costs, some of which may not have been
considered in the anlaysis, may increase the potential benefits of a microgrid.
Authors: Kim Bailey, Aaron Baltich-Shecter, Antwan Clark, Patrick Montouri
References
Willdan Energy Solutions, 2016. “SUNY Plattsburgh NY Prize Proposal”. Prepared for SUNY Plattsburgh, edited by Steve Heinzelmen.
https://home.nyiso.com/
http://www.nypa.gov/
http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/
https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=1981648#
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Lauren Eastwood, Dr. Curt Gervich
Table 1. Existing Backup Generators and Critical Facilities
Conclusions
While the Cost/Benefit Analysis in Task 4 showed a positive return for construction and operation of a
community microgrid in Plattsburgh, even without a major power outage, benefits were only 10 % greater than costs. In the
analysis, it was assumed that electricity costs would increase as projected by New York Independent System Operator
(NYISO), which manages NY’s electric grid. Plattsburgh has a contract with New York Power Authority (NYPA)
guaranteeing a considerably low cost allocation for power. Therefore, Plattsburgh may be relatively immune to projected
increases in electricity costs. Additionally, the Analysis put a heavy emphasis on the avoided social costs of CO2
generation, to which the EPA has assigned a value for computational purposes. The complex situation of Plattsburgh’s
NYPA contract and how it fits in with general grid power emissions makes it difficult to assign a value to avoided emissions.
As NYPrize Stage 2 Design awards require a 15% cost share, a discussion will need to occur among the partners regarding
funding, and these issues may need clarification.
Since the Cost/Benefit analysis returned a positive result for no major power outages, it did not consider the
additional benefits of the microgrid during an outage. The avoidance of real and difficult-to-quantify costs, such as
additional costs of transportation of supplies and back up fuel, evacuations, lack of emergency shelter, and community
insecurity would increase the benefit side immensely. Other factors that have the potential to increase the benefit side
include educational opportunities, increased resiliency (back to business faster), improved community health, and
sustainability.
These questions are important in the discussion of Plattsburgh’s energy future in general as well as in the
discussion of whether or not to proceed in the NYPrize Stage 2 competition. The completion of this feasibility study has left
a solid foundation to continue these discussions.
Figure 1. Plattsburgh Community Microgrid partners
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
S1. State of the Art technology: Results in efficient, resilient and
smart local control of energy production and distribution
S2. Keeps with current regulatory trends (such as REV):
Provides enhanced energy security, with the added benefits of a
reduced carbon footprint and an improvement in emergency
service availability.
S3. Short and Long-term financial benefits: Potential exists for
rate relief during peak months. Upgraded distribution equipment
allows for better control in load curtailment and participation in
demand response and capacity programs (income).
S4. Operational benefits: Turnkey system with better fuel supply
availability (natural gas) that can operate in island mode to offer
greater resiliency during emergencies.
W1. Unproven technology: Expensive, complicated system with
lack of performance history combined with limited vendor and
manufacturer options.
W2. Regulatory hurdles: May require permitting and renegotiation
of contracts as well as market restructuring.
W3. Limited capital funds available: Proposal relies on third
party subsidies for design, construction and operation and may
require additional team members Revenue streams may be
highly variable.
W4. Operational uncertainty: Proposal requires the
addition of new, high tech infrastructure and a reliance
upon third parties for training and experience.
O1. Promising technology: Maximizing energy production
efficiency while reducing C-footprint and environmental
impacts combines with better resiliency, reduced power
purchase costs in addition to new revenue.
O2. Community benefits: Implementation of innovative
technology that improves community resilience helps to
advance the development of new energy alternatives. Local
emergency response services would benefit from the
additional reliable resources.
O3. Financial benefits: Aging infrastructure is replaced with
new, smart, efficient control system resulting in cost
reductions via peak load shaving which also benefits the
macrogrid.
O4. Operational benefits: Dynamic system resulting in better
load control and islanding ability will improve resilience during
emergencies. System would serve as a model for other
college community partnerships.
T1. New technology: Possibilities for failure of equipment,
availability of trained technicians is still low, potential for rapid
obsolescence of components causing increased costs aare all
concerns.
T2. Regulatory issues: Permitting rules and the necessity of more
land for solar installation could cause delays. Changes to utility
interconnection agreements may be required.
T3. Financial concerns: As energy efficiency throughout the state
improves, opportunities for revenue may decrease. Available
incentives for alternative energy vary in timing and amounts.
T4. Operational worries: Delayed completion and performance
shortfalls. Full or partial failures of equipment and fuel supply
interruption could cripple the system.
Figure 3. SWOT Analysis summary
In order to power the microgrid, a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, powered by natural gas, and a (solar)
photovoltaic array with battery backup would be constructed on the SUNY campus. Heat generated from the CHP plant would
be added to the high temperature hot water loop that currently provides heat to a large portion of the SUNY campus. This
system could be expanded to include the Field House, which currently uses electric heat and to heat the pool in Memorial Hall.
The DER-CAM analysis identified a 6.5MW CHP combined with 2 MW solar photovoltaic installation and appropriate battery
capacity as having the best balance among cost, capacity, and integration of green energy (Figure 2, scenario 5). The system
would meet average demand for all 6 facilities during an outage with capability of operating independently of PMLD.
Figure 2. DER-CAM investment results – Serving Total Load with
island in Peak Load Hour in Scenarios 2-6
• CHP installation: $10-20 million
• Solar installation: $7-8 million
• Distribution system modfications/upgrades: $5 million
• Communication and control system installation: $1-2
million
• Ongoing operations and maintenance: $400,000 -
$600,000/year
• CHP fuel: $1.5 - $2 million/year
Table 2. Anticipated costs for construction and operation
Results, continued
Anticipated costs for construction and operation are shown in Table 2. Construction funding would come from a
combination of capital investments from the Partners, grant funding through NYSERDA and other available government
programs. Operational funding may be obtained from participation in demand response and capacity programs, as well as
the sale of electricity to the partners. The owner and operator of the microgrid would most likely be a not-for-profit
corporation with a board elected by the partners. This cooperative would act as a third party utility, which would purchase
power from PMLD as well as generate its own, and sell it to the microgrid participants. The co-op would be responsible for
maintenance of the equipment and distribution system. Revenue would be kept to cover operational costs – any profits
would return to the partners.
The Benefit-Cost ratio for the proposed microgrid over a 20 year operating period was determined using a
model. Costs considered include design and planning, capital investments, fixed and variable operation and maintenance,
fuel, and emission damages due to the emission of CO2. Benefits include reduction in electricity demand from bulk
suppliers, fuel savings, generation capacity cost savings, increased reliability, and avoided emissions. The outcome
showed benefits to exceed costs by 10%, even under the assumption that there would be no major power outages during
that time. In the event of a major power outages, the benefits would increase further.
Location Total Capacity
(kW)
Fuel Type and
Capacity (kW)
Critical Facilities
Avg. Demand
(kW)
Critical Facilities
Peak Demand
(kW)
SUNY Plattsburgh 3,107 #2 Fuel oil: 2,737
Natural gas: 200
Diesel: 170
3,325 4,974
CVPH 1,500 and 800 Diesel 2108 3,525
High School None N/A 239 1,302
Meadowbrook 250 Diesel 237 756
Vilas Home 175 Diesel 55 154
Plattsburgh Housing
Authority
Minimal
(emerg. lights
& elevators)
Propane 380 610
Total 5,832 6,344 11,321
Methods
Consultants used the Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model (DER-CAM) to model economic,
environmental, and resilience-related costs and benefits of the proposed microgrid (Willdan Energy Solutions, 2016, NY Prize
Proposal). To support the model energy load and emergency planning data was gathered by the Willdan consultants from
facilities considered to be critical infrastructure in the city of Plattsburgh. The consulting staff also worked with SUNY
Plattsburgh administrative staff, the City of Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh Municipal Lighting Department (PMLD), and New York
State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) in order to collect data.