Florida community teams up with Block Energy on $4.2 million
A Florida new home subdivision has reached a $4.2 million agreement with Tampa-based Block Energy to install 77 solar arrays in a community microgrid.
Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the US, vulnerable to an average $15.4 billion in storm damages annually. So it's perplexing that state government hasn't made at least as much fanfare about microgrids as places like California and New Jersey. But even if its government isn't leading the way, microgrids are cropping up in the state.
The microgrid will include a 150-kW photovoltaic solar array and a 450-kW, 2.5-hour battery energy storage system. Like most microgrids, the system won't just run during power outages. Under normal conditions it will serve the larger grid.
Less than two years earlier, the regional utility company Duke Energy had equipped Hot Springs with a microgrid—a self-contained power generation, storage and distribution system.
Microgrids are complex systems that require specialized skills to operate and maintain. Microgrids include controls and communication systems that contain cybersecurity risks. A 2018 study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that microgrids in the Continental U.S. cost an average of $2 million-$5 million per megawatt.
A Florida new home subdivision has reached a $4.2 million agreement with Tampa-based Block Energy to install 77 solar arrays in a community microgrid.
Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the US, vulnerable to an average $15.4 billion in storm damages annually. So it''s perplexing that state government hasn''t made at least as much
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Microgrid control systems: typically, microgrids are managed through a central controller that coordinates distributed energy resources, balances electrical loads, and is responsible for
Solar-plus-battery microgrids (unlike generators) are not susceptible to the fossil supply chain issues that hit Florida this past hurricane season. Solar and battery costs continue to decline,
A residential development in Florida provides a model for the future of grid modernization, showcasing reliability and resiliency. Community microgrids provide a new approach to the design
Other communities that have benefited from microgrids during disasters include Babcock Ranch, a developer-planned town in Florida designed to be eco-friendly, with climate change
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