Case Studies

Northside Aztlan Community Center Microgrid

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This microgrid system increases community resilience and improves grid stability.

The Northside Aztlan Community Center is a fitness and events facility located under a mile from Generac’s headquarters in Colorado. The City of Fort Collins received a grant from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to install a microgrid solution to benefit the community. The goals of the project were three-fold: increase community resilience, respond to demand response events, and serve as a blueprint for future advanced microgrid deployments in the area.

The system was designed to power the facility for two weeks using solar and battery storage during fire-season utility outages. Under normal conditions, the battery provides microgrid energy for peak shaving. Fort Collins' municipal utility sends grid signals to the ARC microgrid controller using OpenADR protocols, allowing the system to respond in real-time.

During outages, the Protective Relay Cabinet (PRC) islands the system, and the ARC controller orchestrates the solar and battery to back up the facility’s critical load panel, including the gym’s lighting and outlets for community use and device charging.

This commercial microgrid provides clean energy resiliency and serves as a model for climate-resilient infrastructure aligned with local sustainability goals.