The Scripps Ranch Recreation Center in San Diego, CA, is a community center and park that is used as an emergency command center for the surrounding community. Driven by the need for reliable power and increased energy security in the face of frequent wildfires and intermittent brown-outs, the community converted an existing solar array on the recreation center into a resilient solar+storage system in 2012. The system supports critical power so that the center can act as an emergency shelter and communications hub during outages.

The microgrid was composed of existing rooftop solar PV panels that can produce 30kW of electricity, along with the addition of two 100kW grid-tied inverters and a 100 kW lithium ion battery module, all housed in a weather-proof enclosure.

While the microgrid was primarily developed to power critical services in the event of a power outage, it also runs year-round to reduce the facility’s utility bills and provide benefits to the electricity grid. The project is designed to reduce utility demand charges for the Recreation Center and can also provide grid-support functions, such as demand response and ancillary services.

Designed for the greater benefit of the community, this innovative solar+storage microgrid fits in well in a part of the country known for pioneering new technologies, and for its careful consideration of the environment. The project was the first solar+storage installation in the state, and one of the first nationwide. The project was intended to serve as a learning opportunity for the rest of the country.