New York Power Authority, New York State Office of Mental Health, Clarkson Avenue Medical Complex Microgrid Initiative

Burns developed a feasibility analysis and engineering study for a resilient microgrid covering three hospitals over an 11-block area in Brooklyn, New York.

The Clarkson Avenue Medical Complex’s healthcare facilities serve more than 1 million patients per year across New York City. Facilities within the complex include:

• New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) Kingsboro Psychiatric Center
• State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center
• New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYCHHC) Kings County Hospital Center

The medical complex is located within Con Edison’s Brooklyn-Queens Demand Management (BQDM) zone, where peak demand periodically exceeds load capacity of the area’s Brownville Substation. Con Edison’s BQDM program sought to reduce 41 Megawatts (MW) of customer-side electricity through various demand-reduction solutions.

To enhance power resiliency for the healthcare complex while simultaneously relieving strain on the power grid, New York State Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) selected Burns to develop an innovative microgrid concept.

Burns identified a combination of energy efficiency measures, cogeneration solutions, renewable energy coupled with energy storage, and smart grid technologies to provide independent power for the complex’s critical facilities.

The 18-MW microgrid design involved:

• 8 MW of reciprocating gas engines
• 3 MW of base-loaded fuel cells
• 3 MW/12 MWH battery energy storage system
• 6-MW combined heat and power system
• 300 kilowatt (kW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems

In 2021, SUNY unveiled a state-of-the-art 1.8-MW fuel cell system. The project supplies an estimated 45 percent of Downstate Medical Center’s energy needs, Con Edison’s largest BQDM program to date.

Separately, an NYCHHC project is underway to install 286 kw of solar PV at Kings County Hospital Center.