Energy Storage eFeature |January 2015
FLORIDA SOLAR ENERGY CENTER E-SHELTER PROGRAM
Florida Solar Energy Center E-Shelter Program
Installed in over 100 public schools throughout the state, the SunSmart Emergency Shelter Program provides a “triple play” of benefits for schools and communities they serve. The schools have working, compliant and safe PV/solar systems on-site with which they can train students in sustainable technology. Each system helps reduce the school districts’ annual operating costs by reducing utility electricity consumption. And during life-threatening emergencies, such as Florida’s frequent hurricanes, the community has an emergency shelter for at-risk residents including the elderly and infirm, rated to provide critical lighting, refrigeration and communications indefinitely during grid outages based on an installed 25kWh battery bank and 10kW PV/solar system in each location. Any emergency response organization can access the PV-generated electricity in the E-Shelters, which are designed to accommodate from 100 to 500 people depending on the location.
ENERGY STORAGE PROFILES - PAGE 2
first in Louisiana to offer systems with energy storage to homes and businesses, providing both electrical power during emergencies along with the ability to take advantage of numerous incentives to achieve system payback in as little as five years. In order to keep their customers powered-up regardless of weather and utility conditions, Gulf South’s own facilities are backed-up with a 3.6kw systems equipped with a 48V battery bank with 800aH capacity. Gulf South Solar is also an innovator in AC-coupled system design and installation, for adding energy-storage to existing PV/solar systems.