Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) enhanced its ability to protect U.S. assets and the Pacific in 2014 by adding an F-22 squadron to its fleet. The 154th Wing F-22 Campus project brought photovoltaic (PV) arrays and other energy conserving features to the base. Now, to further build upon existing renewable infrastructure at the base and to offer additional resiliency during natural disasters, JBPHH is adding a microgrid.
Our team was retained to design and build a state-of-the-art renewable energy microgrid. Work began through funding from a Cooperative Agreement between the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies.
The initial stage of PEARL provides a complete and usable backbone microgrid that can accommodate connection and expansion of future microgrids and phases. These microgrids provide energy assurance and security for the entire 154th Wing F-22 Campus while also helping make strides toward Hawaii’s renewable energy goals. These microgrids will play a critical role in reducing Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuels, boosting the transition to renewable energy and creating a multitude of new jobs in the state.
PEARL will advance the state’s 100% renewable energy vision, set in 2015. To reach this goal by 2045, Hawaii has made moves to increase energy self-sufficiency and security by developing and utilizing local energy resources in a balanced way.
PEARL will be a prototype for diversifying the state’s energy portfolio; connecting and modernizing Hawaii’s grids; balancing technical, economic, environmental and cultural considerations; serving as a catalyst for energy innovation and test bed investments; and creating an efficient marketplace that benefits producers and consumers.
Through the use of a design-build delivery method, this project will experience a more streamlined process, as several additional steps needed in other traditional delivery methods can be avoided. Design-build allows for a more efficient timeline for project completion and can provide significant cost savings by leveraging existing vendor and contractor relationships.
