When the electricity supply was interrupted for millions of East Coast energy users during the recent earthquake and Hurricane Irene, facility operators at the White Oak Federal Research Center in Silver Spring, Md., worked with Honeywell to address each situation head on by taking the campus off the grid and tapping into its own on-site generation capabilities. This ensured that critical operations such as research labs, global data centers, and communications networks would be able to stay online and function despite conditions around White Oak, the new headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Since 2002, Honeywell has worked closely with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to support the continued development of on-site utilities and infrastructure at the FDA site. This includes installation of several turbine generators capable of producing nearly 21 megawatts of power, more than enough to meet the electrical load of the entire campus.
So on Aug. 23 when the first tremors were felt across the Washington, D.C., area, the campus’ central utility plant automatically separated from its utility connection as a result of deep sags in voltage, seamlessly switching over to its microgrid and bank of generators to maintain power. For several hours, facility operators monitored utility power quality, and after voltage levels remained consistent they determined it was safe to connect back to the grid.
Less than one week later, facility operators and the local utility alike anticipated serious issues as Hurricane Irene bore down on the coast. When the storm reached the area on Aug. 27, facility operators manually separated the campus from the utility grid. The storm wreaked havoc throughout the day, knocking out power to most of the region as well as taking down two main electrical lines that connected the campus to utility power. However, thanks to the microgrid and a proactive energy strategy, campus operations continued to hum along with no disruptions.
“With our co-generation capability, it was business as usual at White Oak,” said Harry Debes, GSA project executive. “Energy security is critical for many federal agencies, including the FDA, and with the campus’ on-site generation we were able to weather the storm without any serious issues.”
Read more about Honeywell’s development of on-site utilities and energy infrastructure at White Oak.
