A partnership of sonnen, the Wasatch Group, Auric Energy and Rocky Mountain Power has announced a network of solar-powered battery storage systems – i.e., a virtual power plant – in Herriman, Utah.
The Soleil Lofts apartment community in Herriman represents an all-electric residential community design that standardizes on-site energy storage in every unit. The 600-unit apartment complex has an installed 5 MW of solar and 12.6 MWh of storage via individual sonnen ecoLinx batteries for each unit. The project is managed by Rocky Mountain Power, the local utility, to provide emergency backup power, daily management of peak energy use and demand response for the overall management of the electric grid.
“As the developer of Soleil Lofts, we started with the firm belief we could build a community that was solving the Salt Lake Valley’s serious air quality issues today and in the future. That belief led us to partner with Rocky Mountain Power, sonnen and Auric Energy for the development of an all-electric community utilizing solar and batteries,” says Dell Loy Hansen, CEO of the Wasatch Group.
“The combination of solar and long-lasting, safe, intelligent energy storage managed by the local utility is an essential component to the clean energy grid of the future,” adds Blake Richetta, chairman and CEO of sonnen Inc. “The solar industry should find inspiration in this extraordinary project, as it provides a blueprint for the future of grid-optimized battery storage.”
Residents will begin moving into the Soleil Lofts apartments next month, and the final building will be completed in December 2020. Upon completion, the Soleil Lofts community will be the largest fully installed and operational residential battery demand response solution in the U.S., the partners claim.
“Not only does Soleil Lofts’ all-electric community help improve air quality along the Wasatch Front in Utah, the project will create a platform for managing batteries for other customers we serve, as well,” comments Gary Hoogeveen, CEO of Rocky Mountain Power.
