Pitkin County, Holy Cross Energy and RFTA formalize microgrid partnership; battery storage installed, controls and agreements pending
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Summary
Pitkin County presented a draft partnership to operate an integrated microgrid connecting a 1.5 MW battery (3.6 MWh) at airport property, RFTA'AMF and Public Works, with Holy Cross installing and operating controls. Small-island (battery-only) and large-island (includes 5 MW solar) scenarios were explained; the BOCC asked for FAA/airport-property nexus clarification and requested corrections to the draft agreement for Dec. 3.
Pitkin County staff briefed commissioners on Nov. 18 about the Aspen'area integrated clean-energy microgrid project and a draft three-party partnership agreement with Holy Cross Energy and RFTA.
Project history and partners: county staff said community concerns after the Lake Christine fire prompted feasibility work and a resilience focus that led to the present design. Partners named in the draft agreement include Pitkin County (project lead and fiscal sponsor), RFTA (Aspen maintenance facility), the Aspen'Pitkin County Airport (property host for the battery yard), and Holy Cross Energy (utility partner and microgrid operator). Staff said the county procured and installed a battery energy storage system (BESS) yard adjacent to the animal shelter on airport property; Holy Cross is scheduled to install microgrid control equipment and to enroll the BESS in a demand-response pilot.
Installed equipment and capability: presenters described the installed BESS as a 1.5-megawatt continuous-output system with about 3.6 megawatt-hours of storage. Staff said the system is already connected to the local distribution transformer, is charging and discharging in testing, and has capacity for two additional same-size battery units on the existing pad in future phases.
Operations: presenters described three operational modes. In "small-island" (battery-only) mode — typical at night or when solar is unavailable — the county, RFTA and the airport would run from the BESS; staff estimated roughly 2'.5 hours of full-load backup if loads are not curtailed, but said curtailment priorities could extend duration. In "large-island" mode, the microgrid would include a planned 5-MW solar array at Woody Creek; during daylight the solar farm can run connected facilities and charge the battery for evening use, increasing resilient capacity. Staff also explained a "blue-sky" use case when Holy Cross may call for discharging during peak demand; the county would be compensated under the demand-response pilot (staff estimated roughly $7,500/month annualized at current capacity).
Board questions and next steps: commissioners focused on approvals and airport-property use. One commissioner asked whether airport property purchased with FAA funds required a specific nexus to an aeronautical use; staff said the airport and its operations are included in the microgrid beneficiaries and that the nexus is being managed, but they will continue FAA coordination. Commissioners also asked whether diesel backup generators remain; staff said the battery is being used first and diesel generators are retained for longer-duration outages (they provide up to about seven days of coverage but will become less central as batteries scale).
Staff presented a draft partnership agreement and asked the board for permission to return the corrected agreement for first reading on Dec. 3; commissioners requested clarifications and cleanups to the draft (financial appropriation language and signature lines) before formal consideration.
Speakers quoted are drawn from the transcript. The BOCC did not take a final vote on the agreement on Nov. 18; staff will return with a cleaned draft for the Dec. 3 meeting.
