Enphase Energy and solar installer Solaray Energy, have completed the construction of a rooftop solar installation in Newtown, Australia, with the largest Enphase Storage System to date. Installed at the multi-unit student housing co-operative Stucco, the solar array is backed up with a 43.2-kilowatt energy storage system.
The system includes 30 kilowatts of solar modules, 114 Enphase S230 Microinverters and 36 Infuse AC Batteries. Once completed it is projected to provide 40 students with 80 percent of their electric demands.
"We are delighted to be working with Solaray and Stucco on what we consider to be a landmark project. In addition to being the largest Enphase Storage System commissioned since the Enphase AC Battery was launched in Australia in August 2016, this project illustrates how solar and storage can co-exist in multi-unit residential buildings,” Nathan Dunn, managing director of Enphase Asia-Pacific.
Stucco is a heritage-listed building that functions as a co-operative where management decisions are made by student residents. Its residents will have individual unit net-metering ability and be credited for unused energy produced by the solar system through a Power Purchase Agreement model. Additionally, each resident can track their energy use and amount of solar energy produced and stored in real time through the use of the Enphase Enlighten app.
"Stucco selected Enphase Energy because it is the only company that offers an integrated energy management solution, including solar generation and storage, along with energy management through its Enphase Enlighten app," said Project Manager Janse van Rensburg. "We were also impressed by the warranty period that Enphase offered for its AC Batteries, as storage is a core component of our system's design."
As the cost of solar and newer battery technologies have continued to come down energy storage is being installed in more places to show it’s potential in reducing costs for users and the pressure of ramping up excess generation on the grid. For instance, Con Edison New York partnered with SunPower and Sunverge to allow 300 customers to get solar power systems and battery storage installed in their homes, totaling 1.8 megawatts of energy storage. This pilot program collaboration will essentially create a virtual power plant increasing grid resiliency as well as decrease the cost of power for each consumer. The Stucco project, using microinverters and energy storage also shows a unique application of the technologies.
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