Denver is gearing up to install a new microgrid at Abraham Lincoln High School after city officials accepted roughly $2.67 million for battery storage and controls that would let the school keep running on its rooftop solar during outages. City leaders say the system is designed to boost neighborhood resilience and give students in sustainability programs a hands-on energy lab right on campus.
Where the money comes from
The funding is part of Colorado’s push to harden the electric grid through targeted grants that help communities add local backup power. The Microgrids for Community Resilience program channels federal grid-resilience dollars and is overseen by the Department of Local Affairs in coordination with the state energy office, according to the Colorado Energy Office.
What the project will do
City paperwork filed with the council says the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resilience accepted a DOLA award and local match totaling $2,666,667 to design and install a long-duration energy storage system at Abraham Lincoln High School. The plan calls for a roughly 200-kW / 800-kWh battery energy storage system, a new transfer switch, an isolation transformer, and controls so the school’s existing 447-kW DC rooftop solar can island and operate when the grid is down. “This system would all but eliminate any future disturbances as well as enabling the facility to operate ‘off-grid’ and relieve grid stress for the neighboring areas to prevent wider system impacts,” the city wrote in its resolution request, according to the City and County of Denver.
DPS role and local impact
Denver Public Schools’ sustainability department is listed as a partner in planning the microgrid, and district leaders have framed the project as both a resilience upgrade and a student learning opportunity, as reported by CBS News Colorado. School and city officials say the system is intended to keep essential services running on campus during outages and to ease strain on nearby blocks when the grid is stressed.
Why the push matters
Local microgrids are part of a broader trend as states and cities push for more resilient power systems and press utilities to plan for new technologies and rising demand. Energy and policy reporting shows Colorado has recently moved to explore tools that squeeze more resilience and efficiency from the grid, and Denver’s project plugs into that statewide effort, according to E&E News.
