Energy Storage, Microgrids, Solar  -  April 3, 2023

Camp Lejeune Begins Operating 11-MW Battery Project

An 11-MW battery project at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune has begun operation and is the largest battery system in North Carolina.

The battery system will frequently be operated in conjunction with an adjacent 13-MW solar facility located on a leased site within MCB Camp Lejeune, which has been generating carbon-free energy since 2015. Together, these projects enable the most efficient and reliable use of renewable resources, and the two sites can also be operated independently.

The chemistry of this project’s battery is lithium iron phosphate with the system rated at 11-MW/11-MWh, and its physical footprint is about 1 acre. 

“Through an enhanced use lease (EUL) and strategic partnership with Duke Energy Progress, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune has been able to make an important investment in the pursuit of energy security inside the fence-line,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ross Campbell, director of Public Works at MCB Camp Lejeune, in a statement. “Integration of the solar plant with a battery energy storage system, unthinkable a decade ago, presents the installation with a number of opportunities to achieve energy resilience objectives. These systems are part of the ongoing collaboration with the Department of Defense and its utility providers to ensure energy security at federal facilities."

The statement notes that battery storage like that at MCB Camp Lejeune is essential to speed up the clean energy transition in the United States because it helps maximize the positive impact intermittent generation sources like wind and solar have on the energy grid.

The solar facility and the battery project at MCB Camp Lejeune are connected to a Duke Energy substation and will be used to serve all Duke Energy Progress customers. Future work could enable the solar and battery systems to improve the resiliency of MCB Camp Lejeune against outages.

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