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Maxwell AFB

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

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations6
System facts18
Sources reviewed7
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama has multiple distinct microgrid/energy phases that should not be combined as one commissioned plant. The legacy CERTS research demonstration connected two existing 600 kW diesel generators in one building with a new 100 kW generator in another, creating a 1.3 MW two-building test system whose autonomous droop controls were successfully demonstrated without a central dispatch controller. Separately, a modern US$107.9 million energy-savings performance contract includes 4 MW of combined heat and power and broader efficiency/resilience work. A later DOE AFFECT award for the Gunter Annex is ongoing through July 2027 and now identifies 4.6 MWdc solar, a 5 MW/20 MWh BESS, and a microgrid controller; DOE's earlier selection description used approximately 5.5 MW of PV, indicating scope evolution.

Research status
Multi-phase site. The CERTS configuration is a completed historical R&D demonstration, but the sources reviewed do not confirm that its exact three-generator topology remains in production service. The 4 MW CHP/ESPC is an executed modern infrastructure project, while the Gunter Annex solar-storage microgrid is an awarded, ongoing project rather than a commissioned asset; its grant period runs to 31 July 2027. No source found demonstrates current operation of the planned PV/BESS or permits adding those proposed capacities to the legacy 1.3 MW demonstration.
Historical classification
Military
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
32.37916, -86.36255
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 Maxwell AFB?

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

Organization

Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS)

Developed the autonomous microgrid control concepts demonstrated at Maxwell. [3][4]

Organization

Gunter Annex

Maxwell AFB sub-installation hosting the awarded solar, battery, and microgrid-controller project. [6][7]

Organization

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Research organization documenting and supporting the CERTS demonstration program. [3]

Organization

U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)

Recognized the modern ESPC and selected/funded the Gunter Annex resilience expansion through AFFECT. [5][6]

Organization

United States Air Force / Maxwell Air Force Base

Site owner, host, and beneficiary of the legacy demonstration and modern resilience projects. [3][5][7]

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.

KW Gas/Diesel
1300 [1]
Legacy CERTS generation
1.3 MW total: 2 x 600 kW existing diesel generator sets plus one new 100 kW CERTS generator set across two buildings. [3]
Modern combined heat and power
4 MW CHP included in the US$107.9 million Maxwell AFB energy-savings performance contract. [5]
Gunter Annex planned solar
Current award data identify 4.6 MWdc. DOE's earlier AFFECT selection description said approximately 5.5 MW; use 4.6 MWdc for the awarded scope while retaining the earlier value as a dated proposal. [6][7]
Gunter Annex planned battery
5 MW / 20 MWh BESS, a nominal four-hour power-to-energy ratio, in the ongoing award scope. [7]
ESPC projected savings
34.8 GWh annual electricity savings and US$109.5 million over 21 years, as DOE-reported projections for the broader performance contract rather than measured microgrid production. [5]
AFFECT award
US$10 million federal award beginning in August 2025 and listed as ongoing through 31 July 2027. [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

Legacy diesel generators

Model not publicly disclosed

Two existing 600 kW units and one new 100 kW unit used in the CERTS two-building demonstration; manufacturers and models were not disclosed in the research overview. [3]

02

Legacy microgrid controls

CERTS

Autonomous peer-to-peer/droop control allowed sources to share load and transition without reliance on a central command-and-control system. [3][4]

03

Combined heat and power

Model not publicly disclosed

Modern 4 MW CHP installation; prime mover, fuel, heat-recovery configuration, and manufacturer/model were not identified on the DOE recognition page. [5]

04

Planned photovoltaic system

Model not publicly disclosed

Awarded 4.6 MWdc Gunter Annex array; module, inverter, and EPC suppliers were not disclosed in the sources reviewed. [7]

05

Planned battery energy storage

Model not publicly disclosed

5 MW / 20 MWh BESS intended to support the entirety of Gunter Annex during grid loss and to perform time-of-use charging/discharging; chemistry and manufacturer were not disclosed. [7]

06

Planned microgrid controller

Model not publicly disclosed

Controller for Gunter Annex solar, BESS, facility loads, and grid-island operation; supplier and model were not disclosed. [6][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.

  • Phase separation

    The historical 1.3 MW CERTS demonstration, the modern 4 MW CHP ESPC, and the awarded Gunter Annex PV-BESS microgrid are separate scopes and dates. Their capacities must not be summed as if one simultaneously commissioned microgrid. [3][5][7]

  • Legacy research result

    The CERTS work successfully validated autonomous source control and a sectionalized two-building microgrid using three generators without central dispatch. [3]

  • Modern resilience design

    The Gunter Annex award couples PV, a four-hour BESS, and a controller so the battery can serve the annex during loss of grid power while also shifting energy by time of use in normal operation. [7]

  • Scope evolution

    DOE's selection-stage description used approximately 5.5 MW PV; the later award record uses 4.6 MWdc. The later award value is more specific, but neither is evidence of installed capacity before commissioning. [6][7]

  • Evidence gap

    No commissioning date, equipment vendor schedule, actual CHP performance, operational PV/BESS data, or confirmation that the old CERTS topology remains in service was found through July 2026. [5][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]
    Lawrence Berkely Microgrid Report

    china.lbl.gov · Archived source · captured 2021-04-20

  3. [3]
    Microgrids: An Overview of Ongoing Research, Development, and Demonstration Projects

    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory / U.S. Department of Energy · Primary source

  4. [4]
  5. [5]
    2025 Federal Energy and Water Management Awards Spotlight Honorees

    U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program · Primary source

  6. [6]
    Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) Phase 2 Projects

    U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program · Primary source

  7. [7]

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