An 11.4 MW microgrid with rooftop solar, fuel cells and battery storage is set to be built at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, enabling an under-construction terminal to be powered during electrical outages.
AlphaStruxure, a Carlyle Group and Schneider Electric joint venture, is set to construct, own and operate the microgrid, the company said Thursday.
It’s to be built under an “energy-as-a-service” model, and will include about 7.7 MW of rooftop solar, 3.7 MW of fuel cells and 2 MW/4 MWh of battery storage, according to Boston-based AlphaStruxure.
Microgrids, which can operate when there are power outages on the wider grid, can help advance the transition to cleaner power while boosting reliability, according to company officials.
“Solving our energy challenge really comes down to three things: electrifying, digitizing and decarbonizing, [with] more of that electricity coming from renewable sources,” Annette Clayton, Schneider Electric North America CEO, said during a media briefing. “And microgrids are really key to achieving all of this.”
The microgrid at the New Terminal One being built at the JFK airport will provide sustainable, resilient, locally generated and cost-predictable energy, according to Juan Macias, AlphaStruxure CEO. Macias declined to say how much the microgrid would cost.
Greenhouse gas emissions from the microgrid will be 38% less than grid-provided electricity, Macias said. The emissions will come from fuel cells that will use natural gas, Macias said. The fuel cells will be capable of switching to renewable natural gas or green hydrogen, enabling the project to ultimately have net-zero emissions, he said.
The microgrid will consist of four power islands that include generation, storage, and automation and control systems. Three power islands are slated to be running in 2026, with the fourth island starting operations in 2029, according to Macias.
The 2.4-million square foot terminal will rely on power from the grid, but if that is cut off, the terminal will still be able to operate through its microgrid, Macias said.
Carlyle, a private equity firm, is financing the microgrid and Schneider Electric is providing technology, software and services for the project.
The terminal’s developers will pay for the project through a long-term energy-as-a-service contract that doesn’t require them to make upfront capital expenditures, said Pooja Goyal, Carlyle Global Infrastructure partner and chief investment officer.
The microgrid project could be replicated to other infrastructure assets in Carlyle’s portfolio, which includes power and utilities and other sectors, she said.
About 890 microgrids totalling approximately 4,260 MW operate in the United States, mainly in California, Texas and on the East Coast, as of May, according to a U.S. Department of Energy database.
