Sunedison Inc (NYSE:SUNE) reported that it is supplying sophisticated battery systems in a project to establish nine net-zero energy houses in Fontana, Calif. This project is directed by the Electric Power Research Institute, together with the California Public Utilities Commission, and project partners Meritage Homes and Southern California Edison.
The research institute is directing the project to assess the functioning of net-zero energy homes that produce and store their energy impact in the local electricity grid. This is a significant project for future grid planning as California intends to have all new houses be net-zero beginning in 2020, and all new commercial structures by 2030.
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Sunedison’s GM of Advanced Solutions Tim Derrick said that with this key project, the company is designing solutions that will assist people in California to prepare for the imminent future of the grid. It will be a time when businesses and homes will be producing their electricity on a much greater scale compared to today. By installing company’s advanced battery systems, they able to store solar-generated power and better operate the interactions of that power with the grid.
Ram Narayanamurthy, the project lead of EPRI, said that they are leading this key project to get insights into the way a community of net-zero houses interacts with the local grid. They are deploying advanced controls and energy storage to organize these distributed mini power plants that are anticipated to play a noteworthy role in the grid of the future.
C.R. Herro, the VP of Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at Meritage, said that they are thrilled to participate in this project. Net-zero energy houses will be energy efficient and cost effective to run. They will provide backup power even in the event of a electricity cut. Meritage Homes has commenced construction on the houses and projects to complete the first houses by the end of September.
