Miller Community Center - Solar Microgrid

Project Description

Seattle City Light partnered with Seattle Parks and Recreation to implement a microgrid installation project at Miller Community Center, located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The project components include a battery energy storage system, solar panels and microgrid controls.

The microgrid will provide backup power storage for the community center during emergency events, such as a windstorm or unplanned power outage. When the electric grid is down, the microgrid will generate and provide power to the community center to keep the center's services and communications operational.

A $1.5 million grant from the state of Washington provided a portion of the funds for the project. The City of Seattle is partnering with the University of Washington to perform analytics on the microgrid's community and utility benefits. Seattle Parks and Recreation provided the community center site for this project.

Location

The microgrid is located at Miller Community Center (330 19th Avenue East), located in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Community Benefits

The project will empower a community to recover quickly from unplanned emergency events and gain technical knowledge on the installation and operation of a microgrid system. Analytics from the microgrid resiliency project will allow the City of Seattle to research and develop similar technologies. The project also includes several energy conservation measures that will help reduce the community center's electricity costs.

Project Details

How does the project operate?
During normal operations, the solar panels will power the community center and charge the batteries. When the solar panels are not generating, the batteries can back up the delivery of electricity from City Light's distribution grid. The microgrid, solar panels and batteries will provide backup power storage for the community center during unplanned outages such as a windstorm.

How was the project funded?
In August 2016, Governor Jay Inslee announced $12.6 million in Clean Energy Fund grants to five utilities in the state of Washington. The Washington State Department of Commerce selected Seattle City Light's microgrid resiliency project for a $1.5 million grant. This grant provided a portion of the funds for the project. City Light funded an additional $1.8 million in project costs. Click here for more information regarding the Washington State Department of Commerce's Clean Energy Fund.

Who did the City of Seattle select to work on the project?
The City of Seattle is working with several groups to learn how the microgrid will impact or benefit Seattle City Light's electrical system and customers. The project will allow the utility to gain valuable insights and lessons on what it takes to design, build and operate a microgrid. The findings from this project will also determine how Seattle Parks and Recreation and other city partners can incorporate innovative technologies like microgrids in their operations.

• City Partners: Seattle City Light, Seattle Parks & Recreation, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
• Owner's Engineer: DNV GL was hired for their microgrid expertise. They evaluated sites for the microgrid and oversaw the project through design, construction, commissioning and testing.
• Analytics Team: The University of Washington will gather data and perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of the microgrid, community and system benefits.
• Building Engineered Systems Contractor: Worley Parsons Group, Inc. designed, built, tested and commissioned the microgrid.

What artwork did the city install for this project?
A new interior art piece, Connected Community, was installed at Miller Community Center through a partnership with the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and City Light’s 1% for Art Fund. Artist, Julia Harrison, commissioned the piece with input from the Miller Park community. The artwork combines and celebrates solar energy and community.

Connected Community, courtesy of artist, Julia Harrison (Credit: Seattle Office of Arts & Culture)