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Princeton University Microgrid

Organizations, planners, suppliers, equipment, controls, and reported system specifications—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations4
System facts20
Sources reviewed5
Last researched2026-07-19

Princeton University's campus microgrid is anchored by a 15 MW General Electric LM1600 combined-heat-and-power plant, a multi-megawatt solar field, chilled-water thermal storage, and real-time economic dispatch. University sources document its island operation during Hurricane Sandy and its current transition toward expanded solar, geo-exchange, heat pumps, and hot/cold thermal storage.

Research status
Operational and being modernized as part of Princeton's net-zero campus program
Historical classification
Building
Reported capacity
19 MW
Coordinates
40.34399, -74.65145
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 Princeton University Microgrid?

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

Organization

General Electric

LM1600 gas-turbine manufacturer [3]

Organization

Princeton University

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

Organization

Princeton University Facilities

Microgrid owner, operator, and campus utility [3][4][5]

Organization

Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G)

Interconnecting electric utility [4]

System evidence

Reported capacity and specifications

Values can describe different project phases or components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

KW Solar
4500 [1]
KW Gas/Diesel
15000 [1]
Storage
NA [1]
Cogeneration electric capacity
15 MW [3][4]
Gas turbine
General Electric LM1600, natural-gas or diesel capable [3]
Chilled-water thermal storage
2.6 million gallons [4]
Campus electric demand in 2014 account
Approximately 16 MW average; 10 MW night minimum; 27 MW hot-day peak [4]
Reported CHP efficiency
Approximately 75–85% [4][3]
2012 solar field
5.3 MW and 16,500 modules [4]
Hurricane Sandy island output
Approximately 13 MW for about a day and a half [4]

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

Cogeneration turbine

General Electric — LM1600

Dual-fuel aeroderivative gas turbine drives the 15 MW generator; exhaust heat produces campus steam. [3]

02

Economic dispatch system

Model not publicly disclosed

Real-time model monitors electricity and fuel prices plus campus electric, steam, and chilled-water demand to guide operators; vendor and software release are not disclosed. [3][4]

03

Thermal energy storage

Model not publicly disclosed

2.6 million gallons of chilled water shift chiller load to lower-cost hours; newer TIGER and CUB facilities add separate hot- and cold-water storage tanks. [4][5]

04

Heat-recovery steam generation

Model not publicly disclosed

Gas-turbine exhaust heats water to make steam for heat, hot water, sterilization, and steam-driven cooling; equipment model is not stated. [3][4]

Recovered detail

Additional technical notes

Concise system facts recovered from the historical project record. Treat these as historical unless a newer primary source confirms them.

  • General

    Gas cogeneration plant also provides heating and cooling for roughly 180 buildings. [1]

  • Generation

    The heart of the Princeton microgrid is the cogeneration plant (center), which was constructed in 1996. [1]

  • Grid interaction

    Operators import or export power based on real-time economics and can disconnect the campus to run as an electrical island during utility outages. [4]

  • Hurricane Sandy

    After a roughly 20-minute interruption and turbine restart, the campus islanded at about 13 MW until reconnection shortly before midnight on October 31, 2012. [4]

  • Combined heat and power

    The gas turbine produces electricity while exhaust heat supplies steam; the district-energy plant also dispatches steam- and electric-driven chillers. [3][4]

  • Modernization

    The upgraded microgrid is adding solar, geo-exchange, heat pumps, natural-gas backup generation, and paired hot/cold thermal-storage tanks at TIGER and CUB. [5]

Provenance

5 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]
    From Princeton University

    princeton.edu · Archived source · captured 2021-04-20

  3. [3]
    The Princeton Energy Plant

    Princeton University Facilities · Primary source

  4. [4]
  5. [5]
    Path to Net Zero: New Energy Facilities

    Princeton University Facilities · Primary source

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