HVAC Energy Resilience

Team Redstone didn't come to build a perfect energy system. They came to build a reliable one—the kind that keeps critical loads running when the grid goes down and mission readiness depends on power that's actually there.

What's At Stake

When the 911th Airlift Wing loses power, they don't just lose lights—they lose mission capability. HVAC systems shut down, critical loads go dark, and the base becomes dependent on aging generators that don't always deliver when needed. The challenge wasn't just technical; it was operational. The base needed energy independence that could respond immediately to outages and keep essential systems running for at least 24 hours.

Initially focused on electrification mandates, Team Redstone shifted when base priorities changed to emphasize efficiency and resilience. Their new mission: develop a mobile, distributed battery energy storage system that could provide readily accessible energy to respond quickly to outages.

Getting to Ground Truth in Pittsburgh

Led by Justin Souza under instructor Rachel Costello, Team Redstone understood that energy problems aren't solved in theory—they're solved where power actually flows. Their sponsors, Scott Howard and Thomas Forsyth at the 911th Airlift Wing in Pittsburgh, facilitated access that transformed their understanding of the problem.

The base visit provided critical context their remote work had missed. Their sponsor provided a base map unavailable online, walked them through the scale and scope of operations, and showed them the main substation—the energy distribution source for the entire base. Understanding how the substation delivered energy revealed the vulnerabilities in their current system.

Working alongside teammate Minjoo O and Dave Vo, Souza conducted 15 interviews across roles ranging from electrical engineers to resource managers. They gained access to seasonal energy demand and consumption data—classified information they couldn't copy but could use to inform their solution design.

From Micro-Grid to Mobile Solutions

Team Redstone initially pursued a micro-grid solution for complete energy independence, but ground truth demanded adaptation. Land constraints and stakeholder requirements led them to a smaller-scale, more practical approach: mobile, distributed battery energy storage with an emphasis on modularity and relocatability.

Their refined MVP provides the engineering team with a technical feasibility review covering lifetime costs, upfront costs, construction requirements, operability, and supporting equipment. All recommendations come from approved military-compliant vendors, ensuring their solution could actually be implemented within Air Force acquisition processes.

The base visit enabled them to test 17 of 20 key assumptions and quantify 16 of 22 critical metrics, dramatically narrowing their scope and clarifying exactly what the base needed from a potential solution.

Operators of Another Kind

Justin Souza, leading the effort from UC San Diego, brought systems thinking to complex energy challenges.

Their approach combined engineering analysis with operational understanding—developing battery solutions that could be relocated as mission needs changed while providing the immediate response capability that aging generators couldn't deliver.

What Comes Next

Team Redstone's solution serves as a bridge technology—providing immediate resilience while the base prepares for future compact nuclear reactors. Their mobile battery system offers the 911th Airlift Wing a practical path to energy independence that addresses current vulnerabilities without requiring massive infrastructure changes.

The engineering team will work closely with base leadership to run cost-benefit analyses using Redstone's recommendations, providing a clear path forward for implementation that balances operational needs with budgetary constraints.

They didn't just study power outages. They built the mobile solutions to prevent them.