(Credit: Pixabay)SimpliPhi Power, a provider of safe, cobalt-free, non-hazardous energy storage systems, has partnered with Pepco and New Partners Community Solar to launch one of the first resiliency centers in Washington, DC that is powered by solar and SimpliPhi Power’s batteries at a new justice housing development, the Maycroft.
As climate change intensifies with increased extreme weather events, studies have shown that under-resourced, low-income communities will be among those most vulnerable to the impacts. Resiliency centers are expected to become more commonplace as communities respond, prepare, and adapt to our new climate reality.
The Maycroft’s Resiliency Center includes a 70.2 kW rooftop solar array combined with a 46 kW/56 kWh battery system that disconnects from the grid and provides power for up to three days during an unplanned power outage. The solar plus storage system uses SimpliPhi Power’s high-performance batteries to support critical loads for the center such as refrigeration for food and medication, exhaust and floor fans, lighting, outlets for charging cell phones and medical devices, kitchen facilities, and televisions. During a power outage, the Resiliency Center safely islands from the grid and runs 100% off of the SimpliPhi batteries and solar PV system, becoming an independent and self-sustaining microgrid.
Pepco will manage the interface between the SimpliPhi batteries and the solar installation, allowing the company to learn more about using this technology in future applications. This is the first such resource in the District, and one of the first examples nationwide of a new trend in community-based “solar plus battery storage plus resiliency” efforts.
