Saint Paul Closes Design RFP for Solar-Battery Microgrid at Oxford Community Center
Published · 4 min read
The Saint Paul Oxford Community Center microgrid moved into its next procurement stage after the City of Saint Paul’s August 7 deadline for consultant proposals, advancing plans to combine rooftop solar, battery storage, building electrification and microgrid controls at the Oxford Community Center and adjacent Jimmy Lee Recreation Center in Minnesota. The project is intended to improve the facilities’ ability to maintain critical functions during power disruptions while supporting the city’s municipal decarbonization goals.
The city previously secured $298,000 from the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Microgrids at Community Lifeline Facilities Grant Program to cover planning, design and engineering costs. Saint Paul’s project documents call for HVAC electrification and approximately 125 kW of rooftop solar, with battery storage and microgrid capabilities incorporated into the broader design.
The city sought a technical consultant for planning and design
The recently closed request for proposals focused on planning, design and engineering rather than construction of the microgrid itself. Procurement listings for the project described the scope as including HVAC electrification, electrical infrastructure upgrades, rooftop solar, battery storage and microgrid capabilities.
The Center for Transportation and the Environment’s funding and procurement resource listed August 7 as the proposal deadline and described the opportunity as a City of Saint Paul solicitation for technical consultants supporting the Oxford Community Center Microgrid Project.
A separate Minnesota Bid Network listing likewise identifies the project as a planning, design and engineering procurement covering rooftop solar, battery storage, electrical upgrades and HVAC electrification.
Closing the proposal window does not mean a consultant has been selected. The city must evaluate submissions and complete its procurement process before a design team can be considered under contract.
Saint Paul has $298,000 for the design phase
The project has a defined public funding source. In May, the Saint Paul City Council authorized acceptance of $298,000 from the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Microgrids at Community Lifeline Facilities Grant Program.
The City Council resolution accepting the grant states that the funding covers 100% of the project’s planning, design and engineering costs, with no local match required.
The funding originated through the U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program and was allocated through Minnesota’s community microgrid initiative, according to city records.
The concept includes 125 kW of rooftop solar and battery storage
Saint Paul’s earlier authorization to pursue the grant provides additional detail about what the eventual microgrid could contain.
The city’s original microgrid grant resolution says decarbonization studies recommended electrifying HVAC systems at the Oxford Community Center and Jimmy Lee Recreation Center and adding approximately 125 kW of rooftop solar at Oxford.
Battery storage would add another layer of flexibility. Depending on the final engineering design, batteries could store solar or grid electricity and make it available during an outage, while microgrid controls would coordinate the available power resources and selected facility loads.
The city has not yet publicly specified the battery’s proposed power capacity, energy capacity or discharge duration in the materials reviewed.
The project focuses on a community lifeline facility
The Oxford Community Center is more than a single-purpose municipal building. The City of Saint Paul describes the facility as home to the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, JK Movement Center and Great River Water Park, with educational programs, youth activities, athletics and community services operating at the site.
That community role helps explain why the project qualified for funding intended for community lifeline facilities and hubs that can support residents during disruptive events.
A resilient community microgrid can potentially allow designated portions of a public facility to retain electricity when the surrounding distribution system is unavailable. The actual islanding capabilities at Oxford will depend on the engineering completed during the design phase.
Electrification adds complexity to the resilience plan
The Saint Paul Oxford Community Center microgrid is notable because the project is not limited to placing solar panels and a battery on an existing electrical load.
The city also plans to evaluate HVAC electrification. Converting heating or other building systems to electricity can reduce direct fossil-fuel consumption, but it can also increase electrical demand. The microgrid design therefore has to consider both the new electric loads and the generation and storage resources available to support them.
That integration makes the engineering stage particularly important. Designers will need to determine which loads should remain energized during an outage, the amount of battery capacity required, how solar production affects the system and how the facility transitions between grid-connected and islanded operation.
What happens next
With the proposal deadline passed, the immediate next step is evaluation of consultant submissions rather than physical construction.
The city has not yet publicly announced a winning consultant, final microgrid design, battery supplier, construction budget or construction schedule in the sources reviewed.
Those decisions will determine whether the initial concept progresses into an engineered solar-plus-storage microgrid and how much resilience the system can ultimately provide to the Oxford Community Center and Jimmy Lee Recreation Center during an extended outage.
Jonas Muthoni is Editor-in-Chief of Microgrid Media, where he oversees reporting and analysis on microgrids, energy storage, distributed energy resources, data center power demand, grid modernization, resilience, renewable energy, and electricity policy and markets. His work focuses on the infrastructure, technologies, and regulatory developments reshaping the power system.
As Editor-in-Chief, Jonas leads Microgrid Media’s editorial strategy and standards, including story selection, source verification, technical accuracy, and the development of original reporting and analysis. His coverage draws on regulatory filings, government records, utility and company disclosures, technical documentation, and independent industry sources to explain significant developments across the evolving energy system.
