Municipal Management

Power play:

Miltipas energy upgrades will save the city millions

By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal

Miltipas, Calif., is serious about sustainability. And thanks to the installation of new microgrids as well as state-of-the-art, community-wide water and energy conservation initiatives, this Silicon Valley city is working smarter, not harder.

“We are now entering the next phase of our journey, with our developments ready to be operationalized,” said Mayor Rich Tran in an Earth Day statement.

Strategic upgrades

Located 45 miles south of San Francisco, Miltipas is home to just over 80,000 residents. In 2013, city leaders created a Climate Action Plan to make Miltipas a more sustainable community by reducing greenhouse gas emissions; as the global climate crisis continues, the city is constantly updating and revising its plan to keep the city on the path to carbon neutrality by 2045. Recent energy and water conservation initiatives are part of the overarching Climate Action Plan that is geared to make a difference in a variety of sectors while promoting the health and well-being of everyone who lives and works there.

According to Tony Ndah, PE, public works director, the new energy and water conservation initiatives were not developed in a vacuum, nor were they adopted ABOVE: An overheard shot of the microgrids on top of the Milpitas Community Center and the Barbara Lee Senior Center that are part of the energy and water conservations efforts the city has installed over the past year. (Photo provided by Milpitas, Calif.)

overnight. Approximately five years ago, the city identified several upgrades they wanted to make throughout the city and began to look for a partner who would help them achieve their sustainability goals. After drafting the scope of work that needed to be done and putting policies in place that would allow them to move forward, Miltipas leaders invited firms to submit proposals. They narrowed six finalists down to three and ultimately selected ENGIE North America Inc. to plan, design

LEFT: Microgrids are only part of the 10 water and energy conservation initiatives that the city of Milpitas, Calif., put in place to save the community money and to become more proactive about maintenance issues. (Photo provided by Milpitas, Calif.)

and deploy each component of the infrastructure modernization program. Ndah said ENGIE is an energy leader that is accelerating the continent’s transition toward a carbon neutral economy.

“They came into the city and audited our energy and water usage in order to suggest improvements,” Ndah said. “It was a real partnership. We had a lot of ideas that we wanted to bring to the table, and they brought in ideas that we hadn’t thought about. However, they never forced their ideas on us, but rather let us decide if we thought it was right for our city.”

The 10 initiatives approved by the city include advanced water metering infrastructure with leak detection, automation and modernization that will minimize waste; efficient lighting infrastructure with over 2,000 LED streetlight retrofits, nearly 4,500 streetlight control upgrades with outage detection, city-wide lighting upgrades in municipal parks, sports fields, buildings and community facilities; and resilient community centers that can keep the lights on and the doors open in the event of a power outage. The upgrades are expected to reduce utility consumption by more than 4.2 million kilowatt hours and save $1.5 million annually with a lifetime net savings of more than $30 million.

The project cost nearly $34 million and was funded through bonds, grants and money that was previously set aside.

“ENGIE was great about seeking grants to help us offset the costs,” Ndah said. “It’s a lot of work, but knowing what is available is half the battle.”

Microgrids yield macro results

One of the most innovative aspects of the project was the installation of sustainable microgrids at the Miltipas Community Center and the Barbara Lee Senior Center. The microgrids function as a local, self-sufficient energy system that will produce and store power. The microgrids consist of 200 kW solar photovoltaic panels installed on rooftops as well as parking canopies, battery energy storage, and a natural gas backup generator. There are also electric vehicle charging stations outside of the senior center. The microgrids will enable the buildings to be used as a resource or charging center during Public Safety Power Shutoff events or other power outages, save money by reducing each facility’s reliance on energy during peak demand, reduce utility consumption and offer accessible and convenient EV stations for residents and city employees.

“Basically, we have created an energy island,” Ndah said.

The initiatives implemented by Miltipas are an example of what can be accomplished when a city is willing to be on the forefront of smart city infrastructure. In recognition of its innovative approach, it has been honored with a Smart 50 award. The award is a partnership between Smart Cities Connect and the Smart Cities Connect Foundation that recognizes the most innovative and influential initiatives happening around the world.

The organization hailed Miltipas as a “template for other U.S. cities” that may be looking to create a more sustainable and fiscally responsible future.

For Ndah, the awards and recognition are great, but what is most exciting is seeing the project in action.

“That’s the fun part — the maintenance aspect of it,” he said. “Until now we have been using manpower to try and figure out what’s going on when there is a problem, and now when the intel comes in, we’ll know what needs to be addressed and can handle it much more efficiently. I think we will be flooded with information at first, but it will taper off fairly quickly.

“Ultimately, we wanted to create a smarter city that will benefit our residents for years to come and I think we’ve done that.”