Photo by Travlr

Howard University may have figured out a way to escape the clutches of Pepco’s unremarkable tradition of service. The Washington Post reports that Howard plans to install a microgrid, which would allow the university to generate and manage its own power.

The project is a joint venture between the university and Pareto Energy, a D.C.-based company that specializes in microgrid design and development. The Post reports that the microgrid will be built with the help of students and faculty at the school’s Center for Energy Systems and Control, and it could be in place within two years.

Pepco officials wouldn’t offer any details about the university’s project citing “customer confidentiality restrictions.”

This spring, Pepco ranked near the bottom in customer satisfaction among the 25 largest investor-owned energy utilities.

At first, Howard’s system will focus on providing power solely to the university, but the hope is that it would eventually provide power for the surrounding neighborhood, according to Pareto Energy.

Washington Business Journal’s Michael Neibauer wrote a profile of Pareto Energy and its CEO, Guy Warner, last September, noting that the company was creating demonstration projects, including one in the District in partnership with Howard University.