Biology

Western Kentucky University has received a $2 million award from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Office of Energy Policy, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program, to develop a resilient microgrid at the WKU Innovation Campus. The project will create a platform for research, education and disaster resilience, helping the campus support critical operations during power outages while improving everyday energy management.

The microgrid will integrate solar power, battery energy storage, existing backup generators and advanced controls. A microgrid is a coordinated local energy system designed to operate alongside the utility grid and, when needed, independently during an outage. It is intended to support critical facilities at the Innovation Campus during outages, including WKU’s Disaster Science Operations Center (DSOC), which works alongside Kentucky Emergency Management to coordinate disaster response.

“This award gives us an opportunity to connect disaster preparedness with practical energy solutions,” said Dr. Manmeet Singh, Assistant Professor in WKU’s Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences within the WKU Ogden College of Science and Engineering, and the project’s principal investigator. “Our goal is to build a system that helps sustain critical operations when the grid is disrupted, while creating opportunities for students to work on real challenges at the intersection of energy, data science, and community resilience.”

Researchers and students in the DSOC’s AI Research (AIR) Lab will use the microgrid as a research platform, developing data and artificial intelligence applications that connect weather, energy use and emergency operations.

“This microgrid gives our students and faculty a working energy system to study, test and learn from, connected to the center where we monitor severe weather and support emergency response across Kentucky,” said Dr. Josh Durkee, Director of DSOC and University Meteorologist. “Through the DSOC’s AI Research (AIR) Lab, our team will develop tools that link weather forecasting with energy and emergency decisions, so the center can keep operating when the next ice storm or tornado outbreak takes down the grid. Being selected for the first award under Kentucky’s Resilient Microgrid Program reflects the work our students and faculty have put into making WKU a leader in disaster science.”

The project includes engineering and design, equipment procurement and installation, and testing to evaluate how solar generation, stored energy and backup generators work together. WKU will work with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) on engineering analysis and design review, and will coordinate with Bowling Green Municipal Utilities and the Tennessee Valley Authority on interconnection requirements and potential participation in TVA’s Peak Rewards demand response program.

Beyond infrastructure, the project will include education and outreach for the campus, the local community and emergency response personnel, explaining the microgrid’s capabilities and its potential role during severe weather and other emergencies. Students in engineering, environmental science and emergency management programs will have opportunities to work with the system and its data.

“We want this project to serve as a platform for learning and applied research,” Dr. Singh said. “Students can connect what they learn in the classroom with the practical questions communities face: how to prepare for outages, manage limited energy resources, and make infrastructure more resilient.”

That integration of student learning and campus operations reflects WKU’s sustainability initiatives.

“One of the things that distinguishes WKU’s approach to sustainability is that we do not view campus operations, education, and research as separate efforts,” said Dr. Leslie North, Director of WKU’s Office of Sustainability. “We intentionally connect the sustainability work happening on our campus with opportunities for students and faculty to learn, conduct research, and engage with real-world challenges. This microgrid project reflects that approach by creating a platform to explore how solar energy production and storage can couple with advanced controls to strengthen energy and disaster resilience.”

State officials emphasize that the impact will extend far beyond the borders of WKU’s campus.

“For communities to become more resilient, we need disaster response locations that can be self-sustaining,” said Kenya Stump, Executive Director of the Office of Energy Policy in the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. “These microgrid locations create safe spaces for community members to come for essential services, and they ensure community services continue regardless of the hazardous event.”

The award period runs from September 2026 through June 2028.

Project team 
Dr. Manmeet Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences (principal investigator)
Dr. Pallav Bera, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Dr. Josh Durkee, Professor of Meteorology and Director, Disaster Science Operations Center
Dr. Leslie North, Chair, Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences, and Director, Office of Sustainability
Partner: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the State Energy Program Award Number DE-EE-0010074.