Port of Long Beach Microgrid - Resilience for Critical Facilities
This project will create a microgrid at the Port's critical response facility, the JCCC. Key features include photovoltaic energy production, stationary battery energy storage, mobile battery energy storage, and a microgrid controller.
City of Long Beach
Recipient
Long Beach, CA
Recipient Location
33rd
Senate District
69th
Assembly District
$4,839,913
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
As of February 2026, the microgrid has been constructed and installed. Several commissioning tests and debugging events have occurred, programmable logic controllers have been replaced, and reprogramming controllers and communications systems is underway and partially complete. The system is complex in that it has dual battery energy storage systems with an innovative inverter configuration. Extensive work has been conducted to better manage the facility’s loads in order to facilitate the integration of the microgrid.
Interconnection, cybersecurity, and commissioning tests are underway, and are expected to conclude in Q1 2026. Utility-led inspections have also taken place. A 12-month data collection period will begin once these tests conclude, to demonstrate the microgrid’s various use cases and their performance under real-world conditions. A data collection plan has been developed by the relevant subrecipient.
A workforce development study was completed by Long Beach City College which identified gaps in curriculum related to training students to operate and maintain microgrids. This study will inform and support the local workforce needed to perform these tasks.
The Issue
The Port of Long Beach is implementing a zero-emissions future, and the Port-wide electrical load is expected to quadruple. Without energy management, the difference between base load and peak load will widen and strain the utility grid. Increased reliance on electricity adds risk to marine terminal operations with electricity cost price uncertainty. In addition, a single point of failure, such as a grid outage, could result in millions of dollars per day of damage to the economy and leave the Port's Joint Command and Control Center (JCCC) emergency response facility reliant on diesel generated emergency electrical power.
Project Innovation
This project will create a microgrid at the Port's critical response facility, the JCCC. Key features include solar photovoltaic energy production, stationary battery energy storage, mobile battery energy storage, and a microgrid controller. Both battery systems will provide grid services, such as peak shaving during regular operation of the utility grid. During widespread outages or emergencies, the microgrid will support the JCCC, which coordinates response to emergencies. The mobile battery will act to extend the microgrid as a zero-emission generator that can be deployed where needed, such as stormwater pump stations and refrigerated container yards.
Project Goals
Enhance resilience at the Port's critical emergency response facility.
Install 306kW DC of solar power.
Integrate two battery energy storage systems: one stationary, one mobile.
Project Benefits
This project will offer a valuable demonstration of how microgrids can provide cost and emissions reductions as well as energy resilience to critical facilities. It will test the use cases of both stationary and mobile energy storage systems within the uniquely demanding context of a large port, providing insight into the effectiveness of Li-ion batteries paired with solar generation for backup power and reliability for this type of customer and end use.
The project also supports decarbonization efforts of a key actor in Southern California’s economy, and inform the replicability of this strategy for other ports or industrial clusters throughout the state. Through the Port’s partnerships and workforce development efforts, this investment could indirectly lead to job creation, and training and educational investments in neighboring communities.
Affordability
Affordability
The Port microgrid will reduce load during normal operations, which will lower the Port energy costs. Smart load management reduces peak power demand on the utility grid, lowering Port electricity bills.
Reliability
Reliability
The Port microgrid will add stationary energy storage and demand response capabilities, allowing the Port JCCC to respond to utility signals and reduce demand during peak periods. Strategic load shaving in response to utility signals improves system reliability.
Energy Security
Energy Security
The Port microgrid will provide important ride-through capabilities during a power outage, allowing the Port JCCC to maintain uninterrupted operations as the microgrid switches to islanded mode. Additionally, the solar PV system mitigates against fuel supply risk in an emergency, allowing for long-term all-renewable operations.
Key Project Members
Christine Houston
Manager of Sustainable Practices
https://polb.com/
Subrecipients
Match Partners
Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) - University of California, Irvine
City of Long Beach
Schneider Electric Buildings Americas, Inc.
South Orange County Community College District
