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Pearl Harbour

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

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations13
System facts27
Sources reviewed12
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

This slug originated as SPIDERS Phase I at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), Hawaii: a 2011-13 Department of Defense/Department of Energy cyber-secure microgrid demonstration integrating about 150 kW of solar, up to 2.4 MW of diesel generation, an uninterruptible-power system and automated controls. It must not be conflated with later projects on the same joint base. SPIDERS demonstrated black start, high instantaneous PV penetration and diesel savings, but a 2018 Navy-microgrid retrospective reported that the system had become idle after operator turnover and an expired password. Separately, the Hawaii Air National Guard's PEARL microgrid completed testing in March 2024 with a 1 MW/600 kWh battery and 1 MW diesel generator, and further expansion was contracted in 2025. Ameresco's 99 MW Puʻuloa microgrid and 6 MW Puʻuloa Solar-plus-storage project are additional development-stage projects, not SPIDERS upgrades or commissioned capacity.

Research status
SPIDERS Phase I was a completed demonstration, but its current operability is unverified; the last substantive outcome source found says it was idle in 2018. PEARL is the current demonstrated microgrid at the 154th Wing: HTDC reports successful testing in March 2024 and awarded Burns & McDonnell a US$1.67 million 2025 contract for continued development and added renewables. Puʻuloa remains separate and in development. The 99 MW front-of-meter microgrid received a 2024 DOE GRIP selection, while Hawaii's current project listing describes the 6 MW solar/30 MWh storage project as under Public Utilities Commission review with 2027 commercial operation. Capacities from these phases must not be summed as one Pearl Harbor system.
Historical classification
Military
Reported capacity
1,250 kW
Coordinates
21.34451, -157.97489
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 Pearl Harbour?

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

Organization

Ameresco, Hawaiian Electric and U.S. Navy

Development team for the separate Puʻuloa front-of-meter microgrid and associated grid-resilience work. [10]

Organization

Burns & McDonnell

SPIDERS Phase I design-build contractor and, under a separate 2025 award, contractor for continued PEARL microgrid development. [6][9]

Organization

Hawaii Air National Guard 154th Wing and Air Force Research Laboratory

Host/operator community and federal research partner for PEARL and its continuing resilience/renewable-development program. [8][9]

Organization

Hawaii Technology Development Corporation / Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies

Program owner/developer and current public source for the distinct PEARL microgrid at the Hawaii Air National Guard 154th Wing. [8][9]

Organization

Hawaiian Electric Company

Local utility and grid-interconnection participant [3]

Organization

IPERC, Parsons and IPKeys Technologies

SPIDERS Phase I project partners identified by the design-build contractor, supporting controls, integration and cyber/security work. [6]

Organization

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

Host installation and microgrid operator [2]

Organization

U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center — Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

SPIDERS engineering and technical lead [2]

Organization

U.S. Department of Defense

Installation owner and SPIDERS program sponsor [2][3]

Organization

U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Energy and Department of Homeland Security

Federal sponsors/participants in the SPIDERS program; the Phase I demonstration was hosted at JBPHH. [4][5]

Organization

U.S. Department of Energy

SPIDERS program and technical partner [2][3]

Organization

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

SPIDERS cyber-security program partner [3]

Organization

U.S. Navy / Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command

Installation owner/host for SPIDERS and current JBPHH energy-resilience development, including land/utility coordination for Puʻuloa projects. [6][11][10]

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 Solar
146 [1]
KW Wind
50 [1]
SPIDERS solar PV
150 kW [2]
SPIDERS diesel generation
2.4 MW [2]
Demonstrated renewable penetration
Solar penetration reached 90% in testing [2]
Grid-tied export
Approximately 1 MW demonstrated [2]
Archived alternate configuration
146 kW solar, 50 kW wind, and 1,250 kW storage; equipment identities not stated [1]
SPIDERS Phase I solar
Approximately 150 kW photovoltaic generation in the completed demonstration. Early plans cited 146 kW and contemplated up to 50 kW wind, but the reviewed completion/performance source does not count wind in the final operating configuration. [4][6]
SPIDERS Phase I diesel
Up to 2.4 MW of existing diesel generation coordinated in the demonstration. [4]
SPIDERS storage/UPS
An uninterruptible-power system supported an uninterruptible load during transfer and black start, but the reviewed federal completion source does not establish the recovered catalog's 1,250 kW storage rating or an energy capacity. Do not repeat that figure as verified installed BESS. [4]
PEARL battery storage
1 MW/600 kWh in HTDC's current project description. Earlier design material reported 500 kWh, so 600 kWh is treated as the completed/tested configuration rather than combined with the older value. [8]
PEARL diesel and load
1 MW Tier 2 diesel generator serving an anticipated peak microgrid load of about 1 MW, including critical and non-critical facilities. [8]
Puʻuloa front-of-meter microgrid proposal
99 MW planned microgrid/energy asset with firm and flexible generation, controllers and electrical infrastructure. The 2024 DOE selection is development support, not evidence of commissioning. [10]
Puʻuloa Solar proposal
6 MW photovoltaic generation with a 6 MW/30 MWh BESS in the current Hawaii project listing. The Navy's 2024 environmental assessment analyzed 6 MW/24 MWh, approximately 10,950 modules and 39 BESS blocks; the difference reflects scope evolution and is retained explicitly. [12][11]

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

Microgrid controls

Model not publicly disclosed

Remote HMI, black-start sequencing, solar integration, and secure generation control were demonstrated; the reviewed federal overview does not name the controller model. [2]

02

Uninterruptible power supply

Model not publicly disclosed

UPS supported designated uninterruptible loads; manufacturer and energy capacity not stated. [2]

03

SPIDERS microgrid controls

Model not publicly disclosed

Cyber-secure controller, automated switchgear/protection and human-machine interface integrated existing solar, diesel, utility supply and uninterruptible loads. Burns & McDonnell, IPERC, Parsons and IPKeys were project partners, but the reviewed sources do not assign a definitive commercial controller model. [4][6]

04

SPIDERS uninterruptible power system

Model not publicly disclosed

UPS bridged the critical uninterruptible load during transitions/black start. Manufacturer, model, energy capacity and verified 1,250 kW rating were not established by the reviewed federal performance material. [4]

05

PEARL battery energy storage

Model not publicly disclosed

1 MW/600 kWh system used for excess-solar capture, generator-start support and seamless grid/island transitions. Public HTDC material reviewed does not name its battery manufacturer, chemistry or model. [8]

06

PEARL diesel generator

Model not publicly disclosed

1 MW Tier 2 generator paired with battery storage, automated switchgear and microgrid controls; manufacturer/model was not disclosed in the reviewed owner page. [8]

07

Puʻuloa Solar BESS

Model not publicly disclosed

Proposed 6 MW storage power with 30 MWh current planned energy; Navy environmental analysis described 39 BESS blocks at a then-current 24 MWh scope. Equipment vendors are not established in the reviewed sources. [12][11]

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.

  • Project separation

    SPIDERS Phase I, PEARL, the 99 MW Puʻuloa microgrid and Puʻuloa Solar are separate projects at or associated with JBPHH, with different hosts, dates, architectures and status. Their generation and storage ratings are not one aggregate installation. [4][8][10][12]

  • SPIDERS demonstrated operation

    Federal closeout material reports successful grid disconnection, black start and reconnection; photovoltaic penetration reached about 90% at times, the microgrid exported roughly 1 MW to the grid in testing, and coordinated dispatch reduced diesel use by nearly 30% in the test conditions. These are demonstration results, not annual current performance. [4]

  • SPIDERS later outcome

    A 2018 industry retrospective on Navy microgrids reported that operator turnover and an expired password left the roughly US$4 million SPIDERS asset sitting idle. No later primary source found through July 2026 confirms recommissioning, so its present status remains unverified rather than assumed operating. [7]

  • PEARL architecture and milestone

    PEARL uses battery storage, a diesel generator, automated switchgear and controls to serve critical and non-critical 154th Wing loads, support black start and transition between utility-connected and island modes. HTDC reports completed construction and successful testing in March 2024. [8]

  • PEARL continuation

    In April 2025 HTDC awarded Burns & McDonnell a US$1.67 million contract for continued microgrid development, expansion and additional renewable integration. This supports ongoing enhancement, not a second 1 MW system to add to the first. [9]

  • Puʻuloa development status

    Ameresco announced DOE GRIP selection in October 2024 for a 99 MW front-of-meter microgrid with smart-grid technologies, controllers and electrical infrastructure. Separately, the current Hawaii energy project listing shows the 6 MW solar/30 MWh storage project under PUC review with 2027 commercial operation. Neither is counted as operating through July 2026. [10][12]

Provenance

12 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]
    JCTD SPIDERS Technical Overview — Phases 1–3

    U.S. Department of Energy / ERDC-CERL · Primary source

  3. [3]
    Energy Surety Microgrids — SPIDERS technical approach

    U.S. Department of Energy / Sandia National Laboratories · Primary source

  4. [4]
    SPIDERS: Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security

    U.S. Department of Energy / U.S. Department of Defense · Primary source

  5. [5]
    Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS)

    Sandia National Laboratories / U.S. Department of Energy · Primary source

  6. [6]
  7. [7]
    Lessons Learned from U.S. Navy Microgrids in Hawaii

    Trellis / GreenBiz · Secondary research

  8. [8]
    HCATT PEARL Microgrid

    Hawaii Technology Development Corporation · Primary source

  9. [9]
  10. [10]
  11. [11]
  12. [12]
    Renewable Energy Projects Under Review: Puʻuloa Solar

    Hawaii State Energy Office · Primary source

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