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Ascension Island Microgrid

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations9
System facts22
Sources reviewed8
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

This record is the U.S. Department of the Air Force power system at Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAAF), not the separate Ascension Island Government utility roadmap. The airfield's six-turbine, 2.7 MW wind fleet had become non-functional by 2021, leaving the installation dependent on shipped diesel. A subsequent ERCIP project replaced it with one EWT DW54 rated 900 kW, a 1 MW battery energy system, upgraded SCADA, and integration with the existing diesel plant and electrical distribution system.

Research status
The replacement wind-battery system was installed and described by EWT as operating successfully in a 2024 case study. The federal contract record is marked complete, but its end date moved from the original 2022-2023 window to 31 October 2025 and its value rose from $11.307 million to $12.271 million. No reviewed government or independently measured record publishes final acceptance, current availability, annual wind production, battery energy capacity, or realized fuel savings through 20 July 2026; the Air Force's 15%-20% reduction was a pre-construction forecast, not an operating result.
Historical classification
Island
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
-7.94672, -14.35592
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in Ascension Island Microgrid?

9 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

Air Force Civil Engineer Center

Air Force technical/program collaborator for the ERCIP energy-resilience project and publisher of the historical wind-farm record. [3][6]

Organization

Ascension Island Government

Client for a separate 2021-2022 island-wide wind-solar-battery transition roadmap; that modeled roadmap is not evidence that its proposed assets were built at AAAF. [8]

Organization

Emergya Wind Technologies

Manufacturer and installer/support provider of the DW54 direct-drive wind turbine. [4]

Organization

Jade Creek Construction LLC

Prime contractor for federal contract FA2521-21-C-0016; EWT identifies Jade Creek as an Akima subsidiary and the project lead. [3][4][5]

Organization

Jade Creek Construction, LLC

Design-build contractor under the reported $11.3 million award [2]

Organization

Selah Group

Construction partner identified by EWT for the wind-battery installation. [4]

Organization

Space Launch Delta 45

Its civil engineer and contracting squadrons awarded and supported the ERCIP wind, storage, and SCADA replacement project with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and installation personnel. [3][5]

Organization

U.S. Department of the Air Force

Operator of Ascension Auxiliary Airfield and owner/operator of the installation electrical system; the airfield is also used by the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and supports multiple agencies. [3]

Organization

U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 45

Ascension Auxiliary Airfield operating organization [2]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

KW Wind
1650 [1]
KW Gas/Diesel
1 [1]
Storage
NA [1]
Modernized wind generation
One 900 kW wind turbine replacing six failed units [2]
Controls scope
Battery energy storage and SCADA upgrade; capacities and models not stated [2]
Current replacement wind rating
One EWT DW54 rated 900 kW. EWT's case-study cover uses 900 kW while its narrative rounds the same turbine to 1 MW; 900 kW is the Air Force contract rating. [3][4]
Current battery rating
1 MW power rating. Energy capacity in MWh, duration, chemistry, usable state-of-charge window, and manufacturer were not disclosed in the reviewed sources. [4][3]
Superseded wind fleet
Four 225 kW turbines commissioned in 1996 plus two 900 kW turbines commissioned in September 2003, totaling 2.7 MW; all six were reported non-functional in 2021. This official phase history conflicts with a legacy 1.65 MW figure, for which no supporting source was found. [6][3]
Historical primary diesel plant
Three 1.9 MW diesel generators operated in parallel with the wind farm in 2004. In 2012 the Air Force also installed two containerized 1.6 MW emergency generators; reviewed sources do not establish the present number, model, or available capacity of diesel units. [6][7]
ERCIP contract value and schedule
$11.307 million at award in July 2021, later increased to $12.271 million; the contract record shows an end date of 31 October 2025 and complete status. [3][5]
Forecast energy impact
Air Force forecast a 15%-20% reduction in fuel consumption relative to installation electrical demand. No measured post-installation renewable share or annual fuel reduction was found. [3]
Historical wind production target
The 2004 Air Force account reported 3,150 MWh/year for phase one and a 9,500 MWh/year combined wind target after phase two; those figures describe the superseded fleet, not the DW54 replacement. [6]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

Supervisory controls

Model not publicly disclosed

The contract includes a SCADA upgrade, but the reviewed Air Force release does not name the controller or SCADA vendor. [2]

02

Wind turbine

Emergya Wind Technologies — DW54

Direct-drive turbine rated 900 kW for this project, with a 54 m rotor and IEC IIIA design. The brochure lists generic 40 m, 50 m, and 75 m hub-height options but does not identify which height was installed at Ascension. [4][3]

03

Battery energy storage system

Model not publicly disclosed

1 MW system integrated with wind, diesel, distribution, and SCADA. The battery manufacturer, model, chemistry, and MWh capacity are not public in the reviewed records. [4][3]

04

Supervisory control and data acquisition

Model not publicly disclosed

Upgraded SCADA was part of the ERCIP scope for seamless monitoring and operation of the combined utility generation system; supplier and product were not disclosed. [3]

05

Emergency diesel generation

Model not publicly disclosed

Two 1.6 MW containerized CEMIRT Emergency Power System units were installed in 2012 and tied into the fuel and protection systems. Their present availability is not documented. [7]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Hybrid architecture

    The Air Force described diesel as primary generation, wind as supplemental generation, and the BESS as instantaneous backup if an existing diesel generator fails. The storage and upgraded SCADA connect to the existing generation and distribution system; EWT also says excess wind is stored for low-wind periods. [3][4]

  • Lifecycle chronology

    Wind phase one entered service in 1996 and phase two in September 2003. By August 2021 all six turbines were non-functional and the airfield was 100% diesel-dependent. The replacement contract was awarded in July 2021; EWT documented the installed DW54 and battery in 2024; the contract record later showed completion with an October 2025 end date. [6][3][4][5]

  • Historical performance

    For the superseded four-turbine phase one, the Air Force reported more than 20,000 MWh cumulative production, 97% availability, and $2.5 million savings by 2004. Phase-two annual savings of more than 700,000 gallons and $1 million were projections, not the performance of the current system. [6]

  • Project disambiguation

    Ricardo separately modeled an optimal wind-solar-battery mix capable of more than 85% renewables for the Ascension Island Government from December 2021 to March 2022. That was an island-government roadmap and grant-planning exercise, not an as-built rating or outcome for the U.S. airfield ERCIP project. [8]

  • Evidence gap

    Public evidence through 20 July 2026 does not disclose final government acceptance, current measured output or renewable share, actual fuel savings, current diesel capacity, BESS energy capacity/duration/chemistry, or SCADA and battery suppliers. EWT's qualitative claims of reliability and reduced emissions are vendor claims without quantified operating data. [4][5][3]

Provenance

8 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2020-07-05

  2. [2]
    Air Force awards ERCIP contract for Ascension Island

    U.S. Air Force Materiel Command · Primary source

  3. [3]
    Air Force awards ERCIP contract for Ascension Island

    Air Force Materiel Command / AFIMSC Public Affairs · Primary source

  4. [4]
  5. [5]
    ERCIP Wind Turbine Replacement, Ascension (FA252121C0016)

    HigherGov federal contract-data mirror · Secondary research

  6. [6]
    Ascension Island Wind Farm

    Air Force Civil Engineer, Volume 12, Number 2 · Primary source

  7. [7]
    CEMIRT brings reliable power to Ascension Island

    Air Force Civil Engineer Center · Primary source

  8. [8]

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