Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Solar microgrid, anyone?

[Dean smith (deansmith4]

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Dean Smith
Sunnyside Village Cohousing
Marysville, WA
425-328-9979

> On Jan 24, 2022, at 11:29 AM, David Mandel <dlmandel [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> The great information about EV charging prompts me to ask this question
> that I've been starting to explore for my community.
> 
> More than a quarter of our households already have EVs and that is sure to
> grow. We've installed a couple of shared L2 charging stations using
> existing meters (one common, one at a household -- users reimburse for the
> cost) and are looking into ways to install more.
> 
> But this begs some other urgent questions. EV charging increases our use of
> electricity, as does the gradual replacement of gas-powered appliances
> (heating, stoves, dryers) with electric that is happening or contemplated
> in individual homes and the common house.
> 
> And we have been warned that the transformers supplying our electricity,
> installed when we built the community 29 years ago, are likely insufficient
> to handle the extra demand. To merely find out the degree of the eventual
> shortfall would cost thousands of dollars, our utility tells us, let alone
> to upgrade/replace them.
> 
> Moreover, our units were all wired with only 90 amps of service, low by
> today's standards and insufficient, some tell us, to operate the additional
> chargers and appliances many of us would like to install unless we take
> care not to use too much simultaneously.
> 
> This leads to consideration of how else we could both increase supply and
> spread out demand. And the obvious answer is rooftop solar.
> 
> Two households have already installed panels, but doing it individually
> does not really seem the best way. Some of our roofs are a lot more
> suitable than others (shade, direction, configuration), and for any that
> are highly suitable, the utility doesn't allow you to generate more power
> than you already use. (How shortsighted!) This is on top of a major push by
> California (and probably other) utilities to drastically lower the rate
> they pay for net metering, as well as imposing a high fee for solar users
> to maintain "their share" of the grid. (Another shortsighted approach
> seemingly driven by the current economics, not the pressing need to
> decarbonize.)
> 
> A great answer in theory would be to develop a community microgrid, which
> would involve:
> 
>   - Maximizing the amount of generation by installing panels on the most
>   suitable roofs, individual households and common structures.
>   - Using batteries to store the power, enabling its accumulation and use
>   at the most appropriate times of day.
>   - Finding a not-too-complicated way to distribute the energy and share
>   the costs and benefits among households.
> 
> I'm engaged in early conversations with some solar designers/installers who
> are interested in the idea, and with a board member at our (publicly owned)
> utility about getting its cooperation and assistance.
> 
> So my question is whether any of you have accomplished or are contemplating
> such a project. If so, let's compare notes and ideas.
> 
> One more thing: It's clear that accomplishing this would be very expensive,
> probably beyond our community's ability to finance fully even with a
> long-term, low-interest loan -- which would make sense for part of it. What
> other possible sources of funding might be available?
> 
> Thanks for any ideas,
> David Mandel
> Southside Park Cohousing, Sacramento
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