From pv magazine USA
A Florida new home subdivision signed a $4.2 million deal with Tampa-based Block Energy to install 77 solar arrays linked together in a community microgrid. The community in Lakeland, Florida, will be called Myrtlebrook.
Microgrid communities can operate separately from a utility’s electric grid, operating even when power outages occur. This is particularly appealing for Florida communities, which are no strangers to the impacts of hurricanes and power outages.
“This microgrid project is disruptive, it’s new and it’s everything emerging technology stands for,” Mike Dammer, manager of emergent technologies for Lakeland Electric. “We are going into the new.”
The planned community is designed to be 77% self-sufficient, but Block Energy said it is optimistic the system can outperform expectations. It has a similar 37-home microgrid community in Wimauma, Florida that has achieved 93% independence, only drawing 7% of its electric load from utility Tampa Electric company.
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