After moving to Puerto Rico, the homeowners experienced firsthand the country’s expensive yet unstable electric grid. Having relied on a generator for four years, the homeowner wanted a permanent solution that reduced electricity costs and ensured the house always remained powered.
With exorbitant energy prices and an unreliable electric grid, most Puerto Rico residents end up overpaying for electricity that often never reaches their house. In efforts to save money and gain stability, and further avoid prolonged power outages like those caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, many families are seeking alternative energy sources like solar PV and battery storage to generate their own reliable energy at a fraction of the cost.
Homeowners of the Enclave project invested in a solar-plus-battery system to become energy resilient and gain peace of mind knowing that their household would always have power, even if a catastrophic event like Hurricane Maria happens again. While the family previously used a standard generator for backup power, the solar-plus-storage system replaces their everyday need for the generator and ultimately saves additional gas and maintenance required for ongoing generator use. Then, in the event of prolonged outages, the homeowners can still use their generator to charge the battery system.
This new energy independence, coupled with significant monetary savings, is a win-win for the
homeowner, and their contributions toward a healthier environment are a powerful bonus.
“By combining solar with batteries, the homeowners now save over $18,000 a year in electricity.”
Alfredo Uriarte, reSOLient
Performance, Safety & Reliability: the Complete Package
The homeowner's first step toward energy independence began by selecting local renewable energy provider, reSOLient, to install rooftop solar with an accompanying battery storage system. While the rooftop solar allowed the homeowner to leverage the sun to generate and use their own electricity during the day, the batteries then store excess energy to be used later as needed, both at night as well as when the power grid goes down.
The 44kWdc solar array consists of Znshine 380 Mono Panels, Sol Ark inverters, and Unirac racking, and when the time came to choose a battery provider, the homeowners immediately recognized the durability and warranty of Blue Planet Energy batteries over other solutions. Backed by an unmatched 15-year performance warranty, Blue Ion 2.0 delivers the highest quality energy storage solution on the market and boasts an extended life expectancy and rapid recharge.
Also considered was Blue Planet Energy’s use of lithium ferrous phosphate, the safest phosphate chemistry available. Given Puerto Rico’s hot climate, eliminating fire and safety risks was extremely important and made Blue Ion 2.0 the ideal choice for the home. Blue Planet Energy’s success across Puerto Rico and Hawaii proved Blue Ion 2.0 batteries could easily withstand fluctuating and extreme island environments.
Additionally, the robustness of the Blue Ion 2.0 and Sol Ark combination also offered the homeowner confidence that they can easily manage all of the household’s energy loads, should blackouts occur. So to complete the system, reSOLient installed four 16 kWh Blue Ion 2.0 batteries for a total energy capacity of 64 kWh.
“Blue Ion was instrumental in the design of the system, helping both us and our customer to identify the right inverter solution to meet the project requirements. They were also very supportive during the commissioning process to ensure the installation was completed successfully,” explained Alfredo Uriarte, installer at reSOLient.
Investment Yields Long-Term Savings
The system was also designed for the Sol Ark inverters to automatically start the generator if the battery bank reached protection levels. Though integrating the generator to the inverters posed a few initial challenges, reSOLient worked directly with Blue Planet Energy and Generac to rewire the transfer switch and connect the equipment.
With their system now fully installed, the homeowner is projected to save over $18,000 a year on their electricity bills and has gained peace of mind knowing they are protected by a reliable, clean energy source whenever the power goes out. The homeowners are also reducing their carbon emission footprint by 64 tons a year, helping to protect the climate and improve air quality.
Project name: Residential: Enclave One
Project location: Dorado, Puerto Rico
Project type/application: Solar-plus-storage system
Project grid status: Grid-tied
Battery system product and storage capacity: (4) Blue Ion 2.0 16kWh Batteries, 64 kWh total capacity
Power conversion: (4) Sol-Ark 12K Inverters
Solar integration: 44kWdc Solar Array
Generator: 12kW Generac
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