Siemens opened its advanced on-site microgrid at its facility in Wendell, N.C., with an official “power on” ceremony.
The 1.25-megawatt microgrid combines a solar photovoltaic carport array paired with a 3.9-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system. The microgrid, along with other campus-wide energy-saving initiatives, enabled the Wendell site to achieve fully carbon-neutral operations while reducing the overall grid energy consumption by 2.5 MWh annually.
The Wendell microgrid significantly improves operational resilience, helping protect the facility from grid outages. As one of the largest solar + storage industrial microgrids interconnected with Duke Energy’s distribution network in the Carolinas, the system can participate in net energy metering, exporting excess electricity back to the grid. This capability not only strengthens energy reliability at the Wendell campus but also contributes to broader grid stability.
“The microgrid that we’ve integrated here at our Wendell campus is one of the more advanced microgrids installed in the market today,” Brian Dula, Siemens USA’s president of electrification and automation, said. “It’s a true showcase of Siemens’ end-to-end portfolio of products, from generation to consumption, and demonstrates not only how we’re making our own operations more efficient but also displays what we can do for our customers.”
The microgrid solution consists of the company’s SICAM A8000 Microgrid Controller, fire protection solutions, low-voltage switchboards, low-voltage bolted pressure switches, KACO string inverters, SIPROTEC universal relays, and other hardware solutions.
“Given the strong growth we’re experiencing across the regions we serve, protecting customer reliability in a cost-effective manner is a core focus of Duke Energy’s grid modernization efforts,” Venu Ghanta, Duke Energy’s vice president of North Carolina regulatory affairs and policy, said. “We’ve had a tremendous partnership for decades with Siemens, and we appreciate their focus on delivering solutions that improve grid resiliency.”
In addition to the on-site microgrid, the Wendell headquarters recently opened its interactive Customer Experience Center, workforce training Power Academy classrooms, conference center, and expanded manufacturing lines.
