The National Park Service has chosen Advanced Battery Concepts (ABC) to supply the energy storage backbone for Michigan’s remote Manitou Islands as part of a major infrastructure and renewable energy upgrade.
Following a detailed technical review process, the Engineer of Record and the Park Service approved ABC’s CEES-R battery energy storage systems (BESS) for deployment across North and South Manitou Islands. The total 720kWh system capacity will enhance off-grid performance by optimising solar input and diesel generation.
North Manitou Island will benefit from:
- 40kW of ballasted solar PV
- 288kWh of ABC’s CEES-R ESS
- 80kW diesel generation capacity
- 180kW hybrid solar inverters
Installation is scheduled for September 2025.
South Manitou Island will see:
- 55kW of structurally mounted solar
- 432kWh of ABC’s CEES-R ESS
- 120kW diesel generators
- 270kW hybrid solar inverters
The system is expected to go live by summer 2026.
ABC’s CEES-R systems are designed to deliver reliable, fade-free energy without augmentation, sustaining nameplate capacity from installation through end of life. The modular architecture allows for tailored configuration to support diverse energy storage applications, making the system a strong fit for islanded and remote microgrid environments.
The Manitou Islands project reinforces ABC’s commitment to delivering ESS solutions that are not only economically and technically sound, but also socially and environmentally responsible.
Image: South Manitou Island. Credit: NPS
