Coming Soon to a Military Base Near You: Microgrids

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Written by John Egan for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Demand for microgrids on U.S. military bases is expected to continue surging over the next few years, driven by Congressional budget laws and successful initial deployments at several service facilities.

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U.S. Military's Appetite for Microgrids Expected to Remain Strong

A microgrid is a general term for a localized energy system that can operate with or without the main electric grid. Microgrids can come in many shapes and sizes, but in general its core parts include electric generation, storage, controls and connected loads.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) began formally advancing microgrid development around 2012, driven in large part by the Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS) program, an initiative from the DOD and departments of Homeland Security and Energy to demonstrate cyber-secure, resilient microgrids at multiple military installations, including Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Fort Carson and Camp Smith.

Although SPIDERS had a limited deployment scope and operated only as a multi-year demonstration, it established foundational techniques for integrating renewable generation, energy storage and cybersecurity into installation-level microgrids, laying the groundwork for the far broader initiatives that followed. Since then, all branches of the U.S. military have developed, constructed and operated microgrids across North America and at international bases. Each service continues to expand energy-resilient infrastructure to support global missions.

These early efforts have evolved into a comprehensive, enterprise-wide push for resilient energy systems that provide mission assurance both domestically and abroad.

That number likely will trend upward through the end of this decade, driven by the respective services' favorable assessment of the costs and benefits of a microgrid as well as Congressional direction.

The branches of the military--Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard--operate approximately 450 to 500 domestic bases and an additional 750 to 800 overseas, according to the Pentagon and the Military Analysis Network. The exact number of microgrids at those facilities is not known, but it is thought to be in the dozens, at most.

"One of the services, the U.S. Army, wants to install microgrids at all its bases, domestic and overseas, by 2035," Brock Ramey, Industrial Info's assistant vice president of research for the Global Electric Power industry, said in an interview. "The Army further wants to be energy self-sustainable by 2040. I don't think the Trump administration will change that."

A microgrid's generation typically has been fueled by diesel, but in recent years the selection of fuels has expanded to include natural gas and renewables, coupled with battery energy storage. The military also is said to be investigating the potential deployment of small nuclear reactors (SMRs), including a class of micro reactors that have generating capacities of 3-10 megawatts (MW), Ramey added.

He said more than 40 military microgrids were operational as of 2025. Within the Army alone, at least 35 microgrid projects are under development, out of the 130 facilities it is currently evaluating.

Microgrid projects are planned for Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas; Fort Bliss Army Base, also in Texas; Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State; US Army Garrison Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland; and the Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas, among others.

Why Microgrids? Why Now?

Ramey said the various services have been investigating the costs and benefits of microgrids for many years. In the beginning, the efforts were not well coordinated across the service branches. But the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 instructed the Secretary of Defense to "ensure the readiness of the armed forces for their military missions by pursuing energy security and energy resilience." This statute required the Pentagon to incorporate energy resilience features--specifically naming microgrids--to ensure installations remain operational even when disconnected from the off-site electrical grid.

In addition to the SPIDERS program, the pummeling that Super Storm Sandy inflicted on the East Coast in 2012 gave added momentum to the deployment of microgrids at military bases. It took a long time to rebuild the electric infrastructure after that storm, which caused Congressional budget laws to become even more proscriptive in the pursuit of energy security, electric reliability and resilience for military installations.

The National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2024 authorized significant funding for the Pentagon's Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program (ERCIP), which focuses on constructing cyber-secure microgrids that include on-site generation and energy storage. Recent budgets have sought over $500 million for ERCIP project funding for microgrids to manage energy during disruptions. Some sources project spending on military microgrids in 2026 could reach $1.4 billion.

"There are a lot of reasons why the military was investigating microgrids before Congress specifically told it to," Ramey continued. "Many of those reasons are the same for the military as the civilian realms: grid support; having a highly reliable energy source; reducing electric demand during peak periods; lowering costs; integrating renewables into the power mix; and the desire to reduce reliance on diesel for financial, environmental and logistical reasons."

Also, like civilian deployments of microgrids at medical centers and police and fire stations, military bases need to stay open during emergencies such as hurricanes, wildfires, ice storms and tornadoes, Ramey said.

"The term, 'energy security' takes on a special meaning when you're discussing the U.S. military, national security and mission assurance," said Ramey. If a cyberattack were to knock out power in an area, whether or not it is part of a military attack against the U.S., the military must stand ready to be part of any response.

Microgrids installed at military bases also need to have "black start" capabilities, meaning they can begin generating electricity very quickly, typically in less than 10 minutes. Also, they must be capable of being "islanded" from the electric grid.

"There's not a lot of talk about microgrids and the military outside the services and a few military-oriented news organizations," he continued. "But all the services are looking more closely at microgrids. Deployments will continue to grow going forward."

Key Takeaways

• The U.S. military is increasing its investigation and deployment of microgrids around the world.
• The individual branches of the military--Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard--started looking into microgrids years ago.
• Recent DOD budget laws have become more proscriptive on the topic of microgrids and allocated specific funding for onsite electric generation, microgrids and battery energy storage.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).