Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett yesterday announced the official activation of two advanced microgrids for its Public Safety Headquarters (PSHQ) in Gaithersburg and Correctional Facility in Boyds. The microgrids are on-site clean power generation systems, which permit both facilities to operate independently from the power grid to ensure continuity of operations in the event of a catastrophic storm or major power outage.

According to a press release:

“Montgomery County is one of the first jurisdictions in the nation to incorporate resilient energy resources, enabling essential public facilities to be self-sufficient and reduce our overall carbon footprint,” said Leggett. “The Public Safety Headquarters and the Montgomery County Correctional Facility are essential to protecting our communities. The solar panels and other advanced systems added to these facilities will generate clean power and take stress off the power grid during extreme weather conditions and other emergencies.”

The completed project is provided through an innovative public-private partnership with Schneider Electric and Duke Energy Renewables that required no upfront costs for the County. The on-site power generation at these two sites is anticipated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to removing more than 1,400 cars from the road or planting 178,000 new trees.

The Montgomery County PSHQ microgrid also achieved Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER) certification from Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and is the first Maryland project and public safety headquarters to earn certification. PEER is the world’s first certification program that measures and improves power system performance and electricity infrastructure. Through certification, PEER recognizes industry leaders for improving efficiency and sustainability, day-to-day reliability and resilience in the face of severe events.

Read the full press release for more information.