Middletown Recreation Center Choose Microgrid, Fully Engineered by Clarke Energy

• Middletown Recreation Center with funding partner X-Caliber Rural Funding have selected Clarke Energy USA Inc, a KOHLER Company to provide a microgrid system solution developed by Clarke Energy for the newly upgraded recreation center in Conneticut
• Facility will integrate a 35kW combined heat and power (CHP) unit, a battery energy storage system, solar photovoltaic system, and a KOHLER back-up gas-fueled generator
• Clarke Energy supplying their most complex microgrid yet at as the company grows to become a full distributed energy solutions business.

MIDDLETOWN, Conn., June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the recent demolition and relocation of the Woodrow Wilson Middle School, in Middletown Connecticut, the Middletown Recreation Center is being developed on the site to serve the local community. With significant investment from the local council the site will include a new recreation office, and there will be renovation to the gyms and pools creating the first dedicated building for the department. The building will also be used as a heating and cooling center during extreme weather events. In the event the power utility company has an outage the microgrid system will supply energy to the building keeping local residents comfortably supplied with resilient power.

In line with the facility being set for the future of the community, sustainable and resilient energy for the recreation center is essential. Clarke Energy was chosen to provide the power solution for the building and to develop and deliver a turnkey microgrid for the site. This facility incorporates several different power generation and storage technologies that will be integrated and optimised to provide both parallel and back-up power for the community center.

The base energy source for the community center is one of Clarke Energy's CHP units supplying 35kW of electricity and 204.1kBTU/hr of hot water at high efficiency. The CHP can provide black-start capability for the microgrid. In addition, there will be a solar photovoltaic array providing renewable electricity from the sun. Surplus energy can be stored in a battery energy storage system for peak shaving. Finally, the resiliency of the site will be further supported with the addition of a KOHLER KG100 back-up gas-fueled generator. The site's energy resources will be coordinated by a centralized microgrid controller. It is estimated the microgrid will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 192 tons per year

Middletown's Acting Director of the Department of Public Works, Chris Holden commented

"The town is looking forward to the finalization of the upgrades to this recreation center. We see sustainable, resilient energy as key to the longevity of these community facilities and we are pleased to be supported by Symbiont Energy and Clarke Energy in this endeavor.

X-Caliber Rural Capital's Jordan Blanchard, Co-Founder and Executive Manager said

"We were pleased to be able to provide long-term financing for this critical community infrastructure that will serve thousands of residents with clean energy. We are committed to providing excellent financing solutions that support our nation's local communities and this is a perfect example of a successful execution for a project that will make an impact."

Andy Malcolm, Managing Director of Clarke Energy, USA commented

"This installation will be the most complex microgrid supplied yet by Clarke Energy and will integrate numerous sustainable and low carbon power generation and storage technologies. We are delighted to have been selected by the Middletown Recreation Center to deliver this resilient energy solution."

Notes to editor

About Clarke Energy

Clarke Energy, a KOHLER Company, is a leader in the engineering, design, installation and long-term maintenance of distributed energy solutions and gas engine-based power plants. Clarke Energy employs over 1,300 staff and has over 7.4 GW of Jenbacher gas engines installed globally, 1.4GW of which is from biogas, a renewable fuel.

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SOURCE Clarke Energy