On Thursday, May 23rd, CE-CERT hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Chemehuevi Community Center to highlight the success of the recent collaboration between CE-CERT, the California Energy Commission (CEC), and a team of technology partners to deploy and demonstrate an advanced micro grid system on the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe reservation near Lake Havasu, CA. In attendance were various members from the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe community, representatives from California Energy Commission, Primus Power, Grid Alternatives, Southern California Edison (SCE), and CE-CERT.
The newly implemented microgrid system integrates solar PV panels, advanced inverter technology, innovative battery storage technology, advanced data analytics, and smart energy management controls and is installed at the Chemehuevi Community Center (CCC), which serves as the tribe’s designated emergency response center. The microgrid system will provide clean power to run the center and lower energy costs by enabling the tribe to implement year-round advanced energy management strategies. Due to its remote location and a single transmission line connecting the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe to Southern California Edison’s power grid, the Chemehuevi community was faced with power reliability issues and was extremely vulnerable to power outages and downtime maintenance. Along with these issues there was a continual increase in energy, power, and ramping demand by the tribe. To mitigate these issues, a microgrid solution was proposed as a way to increase grid resiliency and reliability, while reducing electricity costs.
This event not only highlighted CE-CERT’s commitment to give back to the community, but also our goal to provide the community with opportunities of sustainability and education. Specifically, this project will provide the Chemehuevi Community with multiple benefits, including lower electricity costs, improved data visibility and energy management, and workforce development & best practices.