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North America / Commercial & demonstration

Babylon Microgrid Feasibility Study

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

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations10
System facts20
Sources reviewed4
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

The Village of Babylon project was a NY Prize Stage 1 feasibility study for a community microgrid serving critical municipal, school, shelter, and relief facilities on Long Island. Ameresco's August 2016 final concept paired two 500 kW natural-gas engine-generators with 275 kW of solar PV, a dedicated 13.2 kV microgrid feeder, automated switching, controls, and efficiency upgrades. It was never an operating microgrid: Ameresco later stated that it did not advance to Stage 2 because the economics were poor.

Research status
Feasibility completed on 2 August 2016; not advanced to NY Prize Stage 2 and not built. The $4.635 million concept had a 0.5 benefit-cost ratio without assumed major outages, and Ameresco estimated an approximately $2.1 million monetizable-revenue shortfall. No procurement, construction, commissioning, or later revival was found through 20 July 2026. All equipment and performance values below are study-stage designs or estimates, not as-built assets.
Historical classification
Community
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
40.69604, -73.32595
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 Babylon Microgrid Feasibility Study?

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

Organization

Ameresco

Prepared the feasibility study, gathered utility/facility data, developed the conceptual design and economics, and was the proposed private owner/operator under the study's notional business model. [2][4]

Organization

Governor's Office of Storm Recovery

NYSERDA partner sponsoring the feasibility study in response to post-Sandy resilience planning. [2]

Organization

Industrial Economics, Incorporated

Prepared the NY Prize benefit-cost analysis included with the final report. [2]

Organization

Metropolitan Transport Authority

Publicly named participant; role not specified in the recovered record [1]

Organization

National Grid

Serving natural-gas utility and initial Stage 1 partner; the final concept depended on natural-gas service, but no construction contract was reached. [3][2]

Organization

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

NY Prize Stage 1 study funder and program sponsor. [2][3]

Organization

NYSDOT

Publicly named participant; role not specified in the recovered record [1]

Organization

PSEG

Publicly named participant; role not specified in the recovered record [1]

Organization

PSEG Long Island

Serving electric utility and initial Stage 1 partner; its distribution system, interconnection, tariffs, and possible grid-support purchases were evaluated, but no executed operating or procurement role is documented. [3][2]

Organization

Village of Babylon

Municipal sponsor and intended host/customer for the proposed community microgrid. [2][3]

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.

Storage
NA [1]
Conceptual firm generation
Two 500 kW continuous-duty, 480 V natural-gas reciprocating engine-generators, sized redundantly with black-start starter batteries; no manufacturer or model was selected. [2]
Conceptual solar PV
275 kW total: 50 kW at Village Hall/Department of Public Works and 225 kW at Babylon Junior-Senior High School; no module or inverter supplier was selected. [2]
Modeled solar production and share
More than 350,000 kWh/year, estimated as approximately 27% of the combined annual electricity use at the three proposed PV host facilities, not 27% of all microgrid energy during islanding. [2]
Storage and fuel cells
NYSERDA's initial Stage 1 winner description mentioned energy storage and fuel cells, but Ameresco's final August 2016 design included neither a BESS nor a fuel cell. No storage power, energy, duration, chemistry, or vendor should be assigned to the final concept. [3][2]
Critical-facility load
Combined normal peak estimated at about 400-500 kW; modeled post-efficiency peaks were approximately 350 kW in winter and 310 kW in summer. [2]
Distribution concept
Dedicated 13.2 kV microgrid distribution using approximately 2,500 feet of 15 kV cable, six automatic transfer/open switches, one 1.5 MVA 480 V/13.7 kV transformer, and two 13.2 kV breakers. [2]
Capital-cost estimate
$4,635,436 including contingency and engineering; major subtotals included $1.943 million for generation/switchgear, $264,500 for distribution, $915,000 for renewables and controls, and $585,749 for efficiency measures. [2]
Benefit-cost results
At a 7% discount rate over 20 years, the no-major-outage case had $2.17 million benefits, negative $2.04 million net benefits, and a 0.5 ratio. Assuming an average three-day major outage every year raised the ratio to 1.0 and net benefits to only $15,200. [2]

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

Natural-gas engine-generators (conceptual)

Model not publicly disclosed

Two continuous-duty 500 kW, 480 V units with black-start starter batteries and exhaust treatment were budgeted. No manufacturer or model was procured or specified. [2]

02

Solar PV systems (conceptual)

Model not publicly disclosed

Two arrays totaling 275 kW were budgeted at municipal and school properties. No module, inverter, mounting, or EPC vendor was selected. [2]

03

Microgrid control system (conceptual)

MCS U90plus

The report uses this product designation for the proposed controller, with CPU, HMI/SCADA, 100 Mbps Ethernet, automatic island/reconnect logic, generation dispatch, and load shedding. It does not identify a manufacturer, and the system was not purchased. [2]

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.

  • General

    The proposed microgrid would use conventional generation as well as solar, energy storage, and fuel cells. [1]

  • Generation

    Conventional generation as well as solar, energy storage, and fuel cells [1]

  • Critical facilities

    The final study covered Village Hall/Fire/EMS, Department of Public Works, Babylon Junior-Senior High School, American Legion Post 94, and the two-building St. Joseph's School complex. These loads were selected for emergency response, shelter, and relief roles demonstrated during Superstorm Sandy. [2]

  • Island and restoration sequence

    During an outage the design would isolate the 13.2 kV feeder, black-start both 500 kW generators, energize the feeder, add facilities in a controlled sequence, and then connect PV. Controls could stop one generator as load and PV conditions allowed and later synchronize/reconnect to PSEG-LI. [2]

  • Controls and communications

    The conceptual MCS would automatically island and reconnect, optimize generator dispatch and load shedding, provide local HMI/SCADA, and use Ethernet with optional DNP3 and Modbus TCP/IP/fiber communications plus GPS time synchronization. Generic references to storage in the controls section do not establish a BESS in the final equipment schedule. [2]

  • Scope evolution

    The Stage 1 award sheet initially described conventional generation, solar, storage, and fuel cells and listed MTA, NYSDOT, Suffolk County, and the Town of Babylon among partners. The final study narrowed the facilities and settled on natural-gas generators plus PV without storage or fuel cells; it does not document construction roles for those initial partners. [3][2]

  • Commercial outcome

    The study said ownership, operating agreements, customer contracts, and financing still had to be formed. Ameresco's later presentation reported about $4.9 million NPV cost, $4.3 million broad societal benefits, only $2.8 million monetizable revenue, and a roughly $2.1 million shortfall, then stated that the project did not move to Stage 2 because of poor economics. [2][4]

  • Evidence gap

    No evidence of Stage 2 award, detailed design, financing close, equipment procurement, construction, or operation was found through 20 July 2026. Consequently, all vendors other than the named study participants and all equipment manufacturers remain unknown. [4][2]

Provenance

4 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 2021-04-20

  2. [2]
  3. [3]
    NY Prize Stage 1 Winners

    New York State Energy Research and Development Authority · Primary source

  4. [4]
    NY Prize Experience — Town of Babylon Project Economic Summary

    Ameresco / Symposium on Microgrids · Primary source

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