Microgrids are small-scale power generating facilities installed at customer locations that can provide backup power to the customer in the event of a grid outage and deliver peaking service and frequency response to APS that benefits additional customers.
We can share in the costs of developing microgrids with our customers, which results in cost-effective economic deployment of new grid resources. A microgrid’s fast-acting capabilities also enhance grid resilience and flexibility by providing important peak resources and ancillary services such as frequency response, which can lessen the occurrence and impact of power outages.
Through an innovative relationship with the U.S. Department of the Navy, we operate an ultra-low emission, 25-MW microgrid at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma. The system, which went into service in 2016, provides 125% of the backup power needed by the base in the event of a grid disruption, enhancing reliability and security at the base, and allows the base to add more capabilities in the future.
We also own and operate a 13-MW microgrid at the Aligned Data Centers campus. The microgrid was deployed in 2016 within the heart of the Phoenix metro area. Like the MCAS Yuma microgrid, the cost-shared microgrid at Aligned provides peak generation and frequency response to the APS system, in addition to backup power for the data center in case of an outage. Both microgrids have successfully responded to over 100 grid events since being placed in service.
Microgrids offer great potential for developing grid innovation. For example, we have two patents pending on the systems developed in-house that enable our microgrids to perform autonomous frequency response.

The microgrid at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma can supply complete backup power to the base in case of a grid outage.