Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) is achieving the cutting-edge with facility improvement projects that tie into education and research, while also improving energy resilience in addition to operating more efficiently and sustainably. The program includes a research and teaching nanogrid that will incorporate traditional power generation, photovoltaic solar power, natural gas generation, and a battery energy storage system.

The program provides students with hands-on training with real-world software technology used by private and public utilities to operate the nation’s power grid to manage alternative, renewable, and distributed energy resources, which are becoming increasingly prevalent across US power systems. As a result, SFCC has developed not just an educational program, but an inherent fabric of the college.

This is just another step in the energy evolution at SFCC. By working with Siemens, the college will reduce energy costs while increasing reliability and energy efficiency. The next phase will include a campus-wide microgrid where students will be able to see the real-time data and run simulations.