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Press Release | April 21, 2014

NORTHCOM Welcomes Leaders to SPIDERS Phase 2 Industry Day at Fort Carson

FORT CARSON, Colo. - U.S. Northern Command project managers for the Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS) program are hosting an Industry Day at Fort Carson, Colo., April 22, 2014, with a tour of the program beginning at 11:45 a.m.

SPIDERS is a Fiscal Year 2011-2015 Department of Defense-led joint capabilities technology in partnership with the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security to demonstrate a cyber-secure microgrid for enhanced mission assurance. The system is undergoing a three-phase testing period:

 Phase I saw single microgrid success at Joint Base Pearl-Hickam, Hawaii, in January 2013. It showed a 39-fold increase in power reliability while achieving a 30.4% diesel fuel savings and 90% renewable energy penetration.

 Phase 2, a 72-hour operational demonstration completed in October of 2013 at Fort Carson, Colo., was also deemed a success, and showed that the microgrid could sustain mission-critical capabilities in the event of long-term outages. This will be demonstrated again on April 22.

 Phase 3 will take place at Camp Smith, Hawaii, in 2015 and will be a collection of microgrids working for the entire base’s electrical distribution.

The deployment of cyber-secure smart microgrid’s on military installations will not replace commercial power as a primary source, but will enable secure and sustainable backup power for critical missions with enhanced reliability and endurance at installation scale.

USNORTHCOM is the joint combatant command formed in the wake of the Sept.11, 2001 terrorist attacks to provide homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.

USNORTHCOM provides DOD capabilities for disaster response operations in support of the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Interagency Fire Center, and state and local officials.