According to foreign media reports, the innovation division of the US Department of Defense (DOD) is developing microgrids built with battery energy storage systems and diesel generators, which can operate in harsh extreme cold weather.  

  The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) of the U.S. Department of Defense has said they need to develop and deploy a high-performance stand-alone power solution that combines battery energy storage systems and diesel generators to work in the Arctic.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research facilities and observation stations within the Arctic Circle

  The U.S. military already uses microgrids to provide continuous power supply for mission-critical and long-range operations. In this case, the use of battery energy storage systems can reduce the frequency and quantity of refueling of diesel generators or other generator sets, because the use of diesel is costly and challenging in terms of transportation.

  The new initiative aims to develop a microgrid capable of continuously supplying power at temperatures as low as minus 51°C. According to a press release from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), this "non-standard" battery storage solution will be part of it.

  The U.S. Department of Defense plans to develop a prototype of a standardized mobile microgrid unit that can meet high energy demands at high power ratings. The unit is scalable and can be deployed flexibly.

  Partners in the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) of U.S. Defense include NORAD, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) Cold Region Research and Testing and Demonstration Engineering Laboratory, other Department of Defense offices, and MITRE, a nonprofit national security innovation group that receives federal funding.

  Ohio-based HDT Global, which provides engineering solutions in extreme environments to military, government, and commercial and industrial (C&I) entities, has contracted to develop an energy-efficient microgrid.

  NORAD, U.S. Northern Command, and Defense Innovation (DIU) selected 13 different solutions for testing and analysis in October.

  The project, called Arctic Grid Energy Solutions (AGES), aligns with the U.S. Arctic National Strategy. The strategy, released last October, is an update of a 2013 strategy aimed at enhancing the U.S. ability to defend its interests in the Arctic.

  U.S. Northern Command Commander Joel McMillan said, "The AGES system is a miniature grid built from a battery energy storage system and generators installed in shipping containers, designed to provide power in the harsh Arctic environment. Our goal is to build a reliable, efficient, scalable and transportable microgrid that can be used to support national and international missions. The AGES system is designed to provide reliable and efficient power to Arctic base camps, special operations, radar stations, communications nodes, and other critical applications. ”   

Saft deploys battery energy storage project in Colville Lake, Canada

  U.S. Northern Command Commander Joel McMillan said the prototype is expected to be tested in the fall of 2023 and used in the 2024 Arctic Edge exercise.

  In addition, battery and energy storage system manufacturer and integrator Saft was awarded a contract in March this year that it said will deploy the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) in the Arctic Circle to date.

  The company, which will supply a 6MW/7MWh battery energy storage system for the town of Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, said Saft was chosen because of its experience in deploying similar projects, such as the company's deployment of a microgrid built with a 1MWh battery energy storage system in Cordova, Alaska.

  Meanwhile, another microgrid project is a proprietary flow battery energy storage system provided by Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin will conduct a two-year test of the 1MW/10MWh Gridstar Flow flow battery energy storage system, and held a groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month, marking the official launch of the project.

（Article source: China Energy Storage Network）