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#Microgrids #Florida #Lakeland #MichaelDammer #LakelandElectric #BlockEnergy #HighlandHomes #Myrtlebrook "The city of Lakeland, Florida, has approved 77 homes featuring solar and storage that will be linked together to form a community microgrid. The $4.2 million pilot project, which is being developed by utility Lakeland Electric, microgrid developer BlockEnergy, and housing developer Highland Homes, will be called Myrtlebrook. Each of the 77 new homes will feature an 8 kW rooftop solar array, and a 43 kWh battery will link pairs of houses. There will also be a central battery storage unit for the whole neighborhood. The solar and energy storage devices will together form a microgrid that’s expected to be 77% self-sufficient. Lakeland Electric, which is funding the project, will be the owner-operator of Myrtlebrook’s solar and storage, and it will benefit from excess power fed back into the grid. It’s expected to save $1.1 million in costs. Michael Dammer, manager of emerging technology at Lakeland Electric, said [via a local ABC News affiliate], “Because the generation happens right in the neighborhood, we are less susceptible to grid outages, which means our customers are less likely to see a blackout due to storms or squirrels or any sort of outside car versus pole type of situation.” Block Energy plans to break ground on the Florida solar microgrid community next year, with Highland Homes beginning construction in 2025. The community is expected to be finished in late 2025 or early 2026."

Virtual Power Plants are a possible tool to serve Alberta in meeting peak grid demands. I'm interested to see where conversations and policies on VPPs in North America go.

Thanks to Solar Power World for publishing my article on "Why solar companies are finding a natural fit in EV infrastructure"! Beyond the obvious overlaps, there are additional benefits to embracing EVSE for solar companies. "While installing EV charging equipment may reflect just a fraction of the cost of a residential solar project, work volume will be significantly higher and incentives can sometimes cover the entire cost, making it a complete no-brainer for customers. Even if a customer doesn’t have an EV yet, they can future-proof their home using current incentives." https://lnkd.in/gybEcuT2 #solarenergy #electricvehicles #evcharging #renewableenergy

The Victoria government has announced which companies will receive grants to deliver bulk solar panel and hot water system installations to vulnerable households in order to speed up electrification in the state and the switch away from gas. The new round of grants, worth $4 million, will be provided to seven companies, rather than individuals, and will target supplies to vulnerable people, retirees and first home buyers.  “The Residential Electrification Grants program is increasing solar by broadening the reach and scope of the program to encourage innovation in the use of solar energy,” said energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio. The bulk deals will see the existing rebates for solar panels ($1400) and heat pump hot water systems ($1000) passed on by the installers, rather than individuals needing to apply to Solar Victoria.  The projects have to service a minimum of 50 customers as part of a single project, and will deliver 1,875 solar systems and 1,545 hot water heat pumps. The message about going electric appears to be getting through in Victoria. Solar Victoria said that in its recent customer surveys, 69 per cent of respondents were keen to or have been thinking about transitioning to an all-electric home; 13 per cent have already fully transitioned thanks to Solar Victoria’s rebates and loanshttps://lnkd.in/gZECRZgW #GetOffGas #SolarVictoria #Government #Electrification #Support

Summary of article: In Puerto Rico, a yearlong pilot program has been launched by LUMA Energy to create a virtual power plant (VPP) using batteries connected to residents' rooftop solar panels. This initiative aims to provide backup power to the grid, helping to prevent blackouts and offering a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-burning peaker plants. If successful, this could lead to a much larger VPP, potentially rendering peaker plants unnecessary and representing a major step in modernizing Puerto Rico's grid and transitioning to clean energy. Virtual power plants are networks of distributed energy resources, such as home batteries, electric water heaters, or heat pumps, which can manage energy demand and supply power to the grid. The U.S. Department of Energy supports VPPs as they can address the growing energy demand and potentially save up to $10 billion annually nationwide by reducing the need for new infrastructure or peaker plants. Puerto Rico's high adoption rates of rooftop solar systems with batteries, especially after Hurricane Maria in 2017, make it an ideal location for a residential-storage VPP. Over 100,000 households now have rooftop solar, and the island is installing about 4,000 new systems per month. These systems are already offsetting about 600 megawatts of power, more than the largest coal-powered peaker power plant in Puerto Rico. The pilot program, aiming to enroll 6,500 customers, could provide about 26 megawatts of power. As of the end of December, nearly 2,000 households had enrolled, representing 12.4 MW of capacity. Luma is paying solar providers $1.25 per kilowatt-hour for the power, with the revenue split between the providers and their customers. sonnen, Inc. offers enrollees a flat annual rate of $750 with a potential year-end bonus, while Sunrun pays customers $1 per kWh contributed. This program allows customers to determine how much power they want to keep in their batteries for personal use. They receive notifications before a dispatch occurs and can opt-out if desired. The financial incentives are substantial, potentially amounting to a free battery for a customer within a 10-year window. The implementation of this program reflects a shift towards a more sustainable and resilient energy system in Puerto Rico, leveraging the widespread use of solar power and battery storage while also offering financial benefits to participants.

New rooftop solar systems are worth a lot less than they used to be in California, following the state’s dramatic changes in net-metering policy. But residents still have one clear pathway to making solar and battery installations pay off. They can join a “virtual power plant.” Virtual power plants, or VPPs, use software to combine the power of hundreds or thousands of small-scale solar and battery systems to mimic traditional power plants. From a power-grid perspective, the vision is to have VPPs help replace the fossil gas “peaker” plants currently used to meet surging electricity demand on hot summer evenings. Solar advocates also see VPP programs as a way to boost sales of home solar systems in the state, which have slowed to a crawl due to regulators’ decision to sharply cut compensation from net metering. Learn more: https://bit.ly/42Qw4LZ #vpp #virtualpowerplant #solar #solarpower #california #solarenergy #renewableenergy #cleanenergy #decarbonization

With weather-driven power outages and high energy costs top of mind, PCE is looking at "virtual power plant" programs as one of a number of ways to lower costs for customers and increase grid reliability. https://lnkd.in/evaJjABs

Many aspects of this system makes sense: heat pump (optimized manner to heat or cool living spaces), rooftop solar PV (saves land footprint), and batteries (efficient form of electricity storage and cost effective due to smaller scale). This distributed nature of energy optimization also helps with broader adoption (no need for large-scale capital intensive centralized district energy systems). This also brings energy self-reliance for individual houses and residential buildings. #heatpumps #batteries #electricity #solarenergy #photovoltaic

Companies selling off-grid street lighting products are facing scrutiny for unrealistic assertions about the year-round viability of their solar-only products.   Kight Off-Grid achieves all year round reliability with its dual energy technology which simultaneously harnesses both solar and wind energy, feeding an advanced, next generation battery technology.    Kight’s testing concludes that solar only street lighting, even with its superior battery technology, doesn’t work reliably once you get into the winter period and dual energy input is required. The UK's shortened winter daylight hours creates a challenge for solar only solutions needing to provide P4 class of street lighting throughout the longer hours of darkness at this time of year. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dStviTkN #LightingIndustry #EnergyEfficiency #SustainableLiving #GreenTechnology #solarenergy #windturbines #solarindustry #streetlighting