Mountain Middle School plans to build a microgrid on the school campus that will allow for uninterrupted power, shelter and resources for students and community members during outages or emergencies.
The school, through a partnership with Shaw Solar of Durango and a funding grant from Colorado, will integrate battery storage into an existing solar photovoltaic system, allowing the school to operate power independently from the electric grid if needed.
That will allow Mountain Middle School to act as Durango’s first resilience hub by early 2026, a news release said.
According to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, resilience hubs are physical spaces that provide resources and shelter to a community during hazardous events and natural disasters, while also serving as community centers for services, education and community capacity.
Energy stored at the school can be dispatched and will allow increased capacity for nearby homes to install their own rooftop solar systems. The microgrid will also support local utility efforts to reduce emissions and improve grid stability, and improve cost-effectiveness by relying on stored energy during expensive peak energy use hours.
Once complete, the microgrid will have a solar capacity of 156.9 kilowatt direct current – enough to power about 24 homes per year – with a battery capacity of 122.88 kilowatt-hours, which can power critical school functions like heating, cooling, lighting, electric vehicle charging and internet for up to 72 hours, the release said.
“Not only will our school be a safe place to go during emergencies for our community, (but) we are thrilled that it will (also) be a learning laboratory for our students, fostering interest in careers of the future and inspiring students with real-world solutions to climate hazards,” said Mountain Middle School Executive Director Shane Voss in the release.
epond@durangoherald.com
