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Vandenberg Air Force Base Microgrid

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

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations9
System facts14
Sources reviewed9
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

Vandenberg Space Force Base has a large operating 28 MWdc solar array, but the installation-wide islandable microgrid is still a development project rather than an existing commissioned system. DOE's current project description combines a 13.71 MW/54.82 MWh utility energy-service-contract BESS with a 1.96 MW/7.83 MWh AFFECT-supported BESS and microgrid controls, totaling 15.67 MW/62.65 MWh. A 2024 environmental document covered design and installation, and a later federal award record reports an $8.1 million award with completion scheduled for July 2027. Older Sandia references identify Vandenberg as a conceptual-design site only; they do not prove deployment.

Research status
28 MWdc solar array operational since 2018. Base-wide BESS/microgrid controls are funded/in implementation but not publicly confirmed commissioned; latest award completion date is July 31, 2027.
Historical classification
Military
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
34.75821, -120.51639
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 Vandenberg Air Force Base Microgrid?

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

Organization

Air Force Civil Engineer Center

Managed/communicated the solar energy project and supports installation energy-resilience development. [2]

Organization

Naval Postgraduate School Energy Academic Group

Supports/facilitates energy-resilience project implementation and research at Vandenberg. [7]

Organization

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Electric utility and utility-energy-service-contract partner for the larger BESS component. [4]

Organization

Sandia National Laboratories

Performed early energy-surety site assessment/conceptual microgrid design; not evidence of a completed microgrid. [8][9]

Organization

Sandia National Laboratory

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

Organization

SunPower

Developed, owns and operates the 28 MWdc photovoltaic system under a 25-year power-purchase agreement. [2]

Organization

United States Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program

Provided AFFECT technical/financial support and publishes the current BESS and controls scope. [3][4][5]

Organization

US Department of Defence

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

Organization

Vandenberg Space Force Base / United States Space Force

Installation owner, project host and resilience beneficiary; formerly Vandenberg Air Force Base. [2][3][5]

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.

Operating solar PV
28 MWdc — Approximately 65,000 panels on 129 acres; entered service in 2018 under a 25-year PPA. [2][4]
Reported solar energy contribution
approximately 35% of annual base electricity needs at commissioning — 2018 estimate, not a recent measured share. A 2021 base release says export restrictions caused excess solar production to be curtailed, which motivates storage. [2][3]
PG&E UESC battery
13.71 MW / 54.82 MWh — Larger planned storage component in DOE's current project scope. [4]
AFFECT-supported battery
1.96 MW / 7.83 MWh — Paired with microgrid controls as part of the federal project. [4]
Combined planned BESS
15.67 MW / 62.65 MWh — Arithmetic total of DOE's two explicitly listed components; a later award database rounds the program to approximately 16 MW/60 MWh. These descriptions refer to the same developing program and must not be added together again. [4][6]
Projected savings
up to $900,000 per year — DOE project estimate, not verified realized savings. [4]
Federal funding and schedule
$500,000 initial AFFECT grant; later $8.1 million award, target completion July 31, 2027 — The later award information is from a federal-award data aggregator and should be checked against USAspending/DOE when a final commissioning date is claimed. [3][5][6]

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

Solar photovoltaic plant

SunPower — Panel/inverter models not disclosed in reviewed official source

Quantity/status: Approximately 65,000 modules, 28 MWdc — SunPower-owned system operated under a 25-year PPA. [2]

02

Battery energy storage

Not publicly disclosed — Chemistry, cell, inverter and integrator not disclosed

Quantity/status: Two scoped components totaling 15.67 MW/62.65 MWh — Development-stage equipment; public capacity values do not establish installation or commercial operation. [4][5][6]

03

Microgrid and building controls

Not publicly disclosed — Base microgrid controls and building-automation controls

Quantity/status: Project scope — Intended to coordinate PV, batteries and critical loads during grid-connected and islanded operation. [4][5]

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.

  • Current architecture versus future state

    Today the confirmed asset is a grid-connected 28 MWdc PV plant whose output is limited by a prohibition on exporting excess generation. The funded project adds roughly four-hour battery storage and controls so solar can be shifted and critical facilities can be islanded. Public documents reviewed do not define the final critical-load list, island duration or controller vendor. [2][3][4]

  • Development timeline

    PV service began in 2018. DOE awarded a $500,000 AFFECT grant in 2021 for feasibility/engineering. The November 2024 environmental document covers design and installation subject to NEPA conditions, and 2024 NPS material describes related work as being implemented. The later award record places completion in 2027, so no pre-2027 operational claim is supported. [2][3][5][6][7]

  • Legacy-record correction

    Sandia documents have been used in older microgrid lists to label Vandenberg operational. The underlying material describes conceptual design/assessment: one 2014 Sandia report says only an initial site visit had been completed. Those records should be retained as project history, not commissioning evidence. [8][9]

  • Energy mix and performance gap

    The solar plant was expected to supply about 35% of annual electricity at commissioning, with the grid supplying the balance and mission backup generation outside the documented project scope. Current measured solar share, curtailment, grid imports, battery vendor and construction progress are not publicly reported in the reviewed sources. [2][3][4]

Provenance

9 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]
    Vandenberg Flips the Switch on New Solar Array System

    Air Force Civil Engineer Center · Primary source

  3. [3]
  4. [4]
    AFFECT Phase 2 Project: Vandenberg Space Force Base

    U.S. Department of Energy · Primary source

  5. [5]
    Categorical Exclusion Determination CX-032450

    U.S. Department of Energy · Primary source

  6. [6]
    Federal Grant DE-SE0001766

    GovTribe · Secondary research

  7. [7]
    Energy Resilience Projects at Vandenberg Space Force Base

    Naval Postgraduate School · Primary source

  8. [8]
    Energy Surety Microgrids and SPIDERS Peer Review

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

  9. [9]
    Military Base Microgrid Planning and Assessment

    Sandia National Laboratories / OSTI · Primary source

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