NovAccess Global Inc (XSNX)

[guay]

…Solar + Energy Storage Better

The new twist is energy storage. Clean Energy Group (CEG) has hit upon solar with energy storage — solar + storage, as the organization puts it — as the economically sensible way to ensure that residents in income-eligible housing are not left to drift when the next Superstorm Sandy hits.

As the post-storm situation in New York City shows, low-income residents without the financial resources to evacuate or relocate, and in some cases further hampered by age or disability, can spend days, and in some cases weeks, without electricity and other vital services. Without onsite storage, rooftop solar can mitigate the problem but not eliminate it.

“Our interest in solar plus storage is a matter of resiliency,” explained Milford. “Low-income populations suffered greatly in the aftermath of Sandy, and they don’t have to go through that again. Solar plus storage is available and it is actually economical…. These systems pay for themselves.”

The idea of a rooftop solar array paying for itself is no mystery, thanks to power purchase agreements. The difference is when you factor the cost of onsite energy storage into the mix. That’s where the focus on large housing projects comes into play.

Milford brought CEG’s Project Manager, Seth Mullendore, into the conversation to explain how that works:

“Solar plus storage presents opportunities for larger properties with demand charges, in contrast to individual residential property owners. Demand charges can be up to half of an electricity bill in some states.

“The opportunity is both for utility savings and revenue generation, in the frequency regulation market. Systems in housing projects are larger and they can participate individually in that market.”

Talk about having your cake and eating it, too… with ice cream. This is a grid-connected system that will significantly lower monthly electricity bills, seamlessly come into use as a backup during grid outages, and bring revenue in by participating in the grid market.

It’s difficult to see how onsite diesel-powered emergency backup generators can compete with that, so we’re not even going to try.

http://www.cleantechnica.com/2015/10/15/thanks-energy-storage-free-rooftop-solar-emergencies-cleantechnica-exclusive-interview/

Clean Energy Group (CEG) is a leading nonprofit advocacy organization working in the U.S. and internationally on innovative clean energy technology, finance, and policy programs.
http://www.cleanegroup.org