Microgrid Institute Team to Design Off-Grid Energy System for Minnesota DNR
Hybrid Solar Microgrid to Sustain Remote Wildlife Management Area HQ
:: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ::
The Minnesota DNR Red Lake Wildlife Management Area Headquarters is located at historic Norris Camp, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp built in 1933.
June 5, 2018, St. Paul, Minn.: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) selected a team led by Microgrid Institute to design and engineer a hybrid renewable/fossil-fueled microgrid at DNR’s 324,000-acre Red Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA), in Lake of the Woods and Beltrami Counties near Minnesota’s border with Canada.
Microgrid Institute will lead the project as prime contractor and project manager. Microgrid Institute brings substantial experience with assessment, design, and development of microgrids for both grid-interconnected and off-grid applications. The team also includes EVS Inc., which will provide power system design and engineering services. EVS has provided civil and electrical engineering, land surveying, and environmental engineering services for many renewable energy projects throughout Minnesota and nationwide. Examples of EVS’s work in Minnesota include numerous community solar gardens, utility-scale solar projects, and other solar + storage designs, as well as construction projects in other sectors including the Interstate 35W bridge reconstruction, the Vikings US Bank Stadium, and the Gophers TCF Bank Stadium.
Also supporting the project team is Prof. Greg Mowry, director of the University of St. Thomas MSEE Program. Mowry is expected to provide expert inputs based on his experience with several remote off-grid microgrid projects, including a system designed and built for the Will Steger Wilderness Center in Ely, Minn.
DNR selected the Microgrid Institute team through a competitive procurement process, and executed a contract to perform Phase 1 assessment, design, and engineering for a microgrid to serve the Red Lake WMA. Microgrid permitting, installation, and commissioning are expected to occur in subsequent project phases. The microgrid will integrate renewable power and energy storage capacity together with fossil-fueled generation to maintain reliable energy service for DNR operations.
“On behalf of the Microgrid Institute team, we are pleased to support DNR’s important mission at the Red Lake Wildlife Management Area,” said Michael Burr, Director of Microgrid Institute. “Our world-class team will apply smart design principles to optimize DNR’s use of energy resources, while providing a robust system to sustain year-round operations.”
The project site includes DNR’s area headquarters, two managers’ residences, and Norris Camp, a Civilian Conservation Corps facility with 14 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The camp was built in 1933 and operated until 1942 to support a federal relocation and land restoration project in the Beltrami Island State Forest, which encompasses the WMA.
Microgrid Institute will lead the project as prime contractor and project manager. Microgrid Institute brings substantial experience with assessment, design, and development of microgrids for both grid-interconnected and off-grid applications. The team also includes EVS Inc., which will provide power system design and engineering services. EVS has provided civil and electrical engineering, land surveying, and environmental engineering services for many renewable energy projects throughout Minnesota and nationwide. Examples of EVS’s work in Minnesota include numerous community solar gardens, utility-scale solar projects, and other solar + storage designs, as well as construction projects in other sectors including the Interstate 35W bridge reconstruction, the Vikings US Bank Stadium, and the Gophers TCF Bank Stadium.
Also supporting the project team is Prof. Greg Mowry, director of the University of St. Thomas MSEE Program. Mowry is expected to provide expert inputs based on his experience with several remote off-grid microgrid projects, including a system designed and built for the Will Steger Wilderness Center in Ely, Minn.
DNR selected the Microgrid Institute team through a competitive procurement process, and executed a contract to perform Phase 1 assessment, design, and engineering for a microgrid to serve the Red Lake WMA. Microgrid permitting, installation, and commissioning are expected to occur in subsequent project phases. The microgrid will integrate renewable power and energy storage capacity together with fossil-fueled generation to maintain reliable energy service for DNR operations.
“On behalf of the Microgrid Institute team, we are pleased to support DNR’s important mission at the Red Lake Wildlife Management Area,” said Michael Burr, Director of Microgrid Institute. “Our world-class team will apply smart design principles to optimize DNR’s use of energy resources, while providing a robust system to sustain year-round operations.”
The project site includes DNR’s area headquarters, two managers’ residences, and Norris Camp, a Civilian Conservation Corps facility with 14 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The camp was built in 1933 and operated until 1942 to support a federal relocation and land restoration project in the Beltrami Island State Forest, which encompasses the WMA.
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