Training Center Petaluma is the Coast Guard’s largest West Coast Training Center. – U.S. Coast Guard photo.
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Coast Guard Training Center (TRACEN) Petaluma is scheduled to host a groundbreaking ceremony for a renewable energy microgrid on the base Friday at 3:30 p.m.
The primary purpose of the microgrid is to enhance TRACEN Petaluma’s resiliency, which stems from the Kincade fire in 2019 that resulted in the facility being without power for five days.
The goal of the project is to allow TRACEN Petaluma to be able to produce their own power for up to 10-days of independent and full operations through the installation of five megawatts of solar photovoltaic and 11.6 megawatt hours of battery storage.
The Coast Guard awarded a $48 million contract for the microgrid on Sept. 29, 2021, which will be paid with the energy savings over a 23-year contract term. Construction is slated to be completed within two years.
TRACEN Petaluma is the Coast Guard’s largest West Coast training center providing apprentice-level training for eight Coast Guard enlisted career fields and is home to the Chief Petty Officer Academy. TRACEN supports approximately 3,500 students per year, 350-370 permanent staff, and 500 family housing residents, all encompassed within an 837-acre, 810,000 square-foot campus.
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