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North America / Defense

Cannon AFB

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

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations7
System facts15
Sources reviewed7
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

The historical Cannon AFB microgrid record corresponds to a FY2011 Sandia energy-surety conceptual design/assessment funded by DOE's Office of Electricity and the Department of Defense. Sandia's later portfolio places it among military conceptual studies under 1 MW, not among operational prototypes. No public design package, equipment selection, construction award, or commissioned microgrid was found.

Research status
Conceptual assessment only in FY2011; no evidence it advanced to construction. Later Cannon solar-efficiency and hydrogen-backup projects are separate resilience efforts, not proof that the FY2011 microgrid was built.
Historical classification
Military
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
34.38978, -103.31830
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 Cannon AFB?

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

Organization

Ameresco

Developer under a separate 2021 energy-savings performance contract for solar and facility controls [4][6]

Organization

Defense Logistics Agency Energy

Contracting partner for the separate $18.9 million 2021 Cannon energy-savings performance contract [5]

Organization

Prometheus Hydrogen

Designed, installed, operates, and maintains the separate 2026 HEGO solid-state hydrogen backup pilot [7]

Organization

Sandia National Laboratories

Performed the FY2011 military energy-surety microgrid conceptual design/assessment [2][3]

Organization

U.S. Department of Defense / U.S. Air Force

Co-sponsor and installation owner for the FY2011 assessment [2]

Organization

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity

Co-funder/sponsor identified for the FY2011 conceptual assessment [2]

Organization

US Department of Defence

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

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.

FY2011 conceptual microgrid scale
Categorized by Sandia as a military conceptual design/assessment under 1 MW; no more precise design capacity was published [2]
FY2011 conceptual energy mix
Not publicly specified; no source-backed generator, storage, or renewable selection was found for the assessment [2][3]
Separate 2021 ESPC photovoltaic capacity
1.9 MW ground-mounted solar PV, planned to supply about 4% of base electricity [6][5]
Separate 2021 ESPC value and savings
$18.9 million; projected $1.1 million first-year and $33 million performance-period savings [4][5]
Separate 2021 ESPC projected impact
77,883 million Btu annual energy reduction and 10,700 metric tons annual carbon reduction [4]
Separate 2026 HEGO rating
Capacity not publicly disclosed [7]

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

FY2011 conceptual microgrid equipment

Model not publicly disclosed

No public source identifies selected generation, storage, switchgear, controller manufacturer, or equipment model for the conceptual assessment [2]

02

Separate solar project

Model not publicly disclosed

A 1.9 MW ground-mounted photovoltaic array, transformer upgrades, direct-digital HVAC controls, and LED lighting were included in Ameresco's 2021 ESPC; no battery or islanding controller was announced [6][5]

03

Separate hydrogen backup

Prometheus Hydrogen — HEGO

Compact solid-state hydrogen energy-production backup system deployed for the base water-supply system in June 2026 [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.

  • Assessment classification

    Sandia's 2017 portfolio explicitly lists Cannon AFB as a FY2011 DOE Office of Electricity/DoD conceptual design or assessment under 1 MW, while operational prototypes and large demonstrations are shown in separate categories. [2]

  • Early timeline

    A 2010 Sandia presentation listed Cannon among installations expressing FY2011 project interest; the later 2017 portfolio confirms an assessment occurred but provides no evidence of implementation. [3][2]

  • Separate 2021 project

    The Air Force/DLA Energy awarded Ameresco an ESPC in June 2021 covering five conservation measures across 119 buildings and a 1.9 MW PV array. Announcements targeted Q1 2023 completion, but the reviewed official sources do not confirm final completion or describe the project as an islandable microgrid. [4][6][5]

  • Separate 2026 resilience pilot

    On June 4, 2026 the Air Force demonstrated Prometheus Hydrogen's HEGO backup system for Cannon's water supply. The solid-state hydrogen system is being evaluated as an alternative to mobile and stationary diesel backup generators; the Air Force calls it a pilot, not the FY2011 microgrid. [7]

  • Current energy mix context

    As of June 2026 Cannon still relied on mobile and stationary diesel generators for outage backup and was piloting hydrogen for one water-supply application. Public sources do not establish a base-wide islandable microgrid or storage fleet. [7]

  • Disambiguation

    The FY2011 conceptual microgrid, the 2021 solar/controls ESPC, and the 2026 water-system hydrogen backup pilot are three distinct efforts and should not have their capacities or status merged. [2][4][7]

Provenance

7 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]
    Grid Modernization Program Area: Energy Surety Microgrid Efforts

    Sandia National Laboratories · Primary source

  3. [3]
    Current Sandia Military Microgrid Conceptual Design Efforts

    Sandia National Laboratories · Primary source

  4. [4]
    ESPC Awarded for Cannon AFB

    Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center · Primary source

  5. [5]
    Cannon Air Force Base Receives Energy Conservation Upgrades

    Defense Logistics Agency · Primary source

  6. [6]
  7. [7]

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