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About Us
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The City of Santa Monica has an ambitious goal to become a net-zero, energy independent city by 2020.
Solar Santa Monica is a program of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment.
Solar Santa Monica helps residents, businesses and property owners reduce energy consumption and generate clean, renewable energy onsite. Our Contractor Network is a tool to help you find a licensed, reliable contractor.
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Solar and Emergency Preparedness
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Life in Earthquake Country
How quickly life gets back to normal after a natural or man-made disaster is up to you. Your level of personal preparedness will determine your quality of life. It is a good idea to have a fire extinguisher, a first aid-kit, and enough water for everyone in your family to have a gallon per person for three days. Have an emergency plan and decide where you will meet your family.
Preparedness is not only for the home but also for businesses. Make sure your company has an emergency plan for a major earthquake.
The City of Santa Monica's Office of Emergency Management is a great resource to learn more about residential and business preparedness.
Solar Santa Monica's Role
As a solar program, Solar Santa Monica is researching practical ways solar technology can be used to help the City of Santa Monica and its residents in the case of an emergency. Historically, gas or diesel powered generators have helped keep critical loads powered, but thanks to significant improvements, solar technology can now help mitigate the effects of a disaster. Throughout 2013, Solar Santa Monica will be reporting on ways the City and it's residents can use solar in the case of emergencies and electricity blackouts.
In this issue we profile a local business and homeowner that have installed solar systems with battery storage. These hybrid solar systems are connected to the grid and are net-metered, but if/when the grid goes down, the batteries are connected to supply the owners with power for their critical loads.
Keep up-to-date by following us on Facebook and Twitter!
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| Local Business Installs Solar with Battery Storage | | |
Apogee Electronics is a manufacturer of digital audio hardware and accessories for audio professionals and musicians around the world. Apogee manufactures all of their products in California and Texas. It is fortunate that such a successful and philanthropic organization is headquartered here in Santa Monica and the Solar Santa Monica program is proud to call Apogee Electronics a Solar Champion!
On an overcast day in late January, Drew Lowell-Britt, an Energy Specialist for Solar Santa Monica had the opportunity to tour Apogee's headquarters and meet Roger Charlesworth, an Apogee Special Projects Consultant. Their 28 kW solar photovoltaic system was generating around 2,000 watts (or 2kW) - a small percentage of the maximum production, but not bad for a rainy day!
Annually, the 28 kW array should generate upwards of 40,000 kWh per year or on average of 110 kWh per day.
 | | 28 kW of solar adorns the rooftop of Apogee Electronics |
Here is what Roger had to say on the benefits of solar powered back-up power: "The beauty of renewable back-up power is that it is always working and constantly paying for itself by offsetting utility costs. Gas or diesel back-up generators just sit in the corner, you never know if the thing is going to work when you really need it - not to mention they are noisy, dirty, and expensive. Our solar system was designed to provide lighting and power to the whole north building (home to the offices and kitchen) if the utility grid went down."
Apogee CEO Betty Bennett's intentions are to implement all feasible methods to reduce any negative impact on the environment. Betty's company is walking the walk (or shall we also say biking? Many Apogee employees walk or bike to work). In the Fall of 2008, Apogee joined the Santa Monica Green Business Certification Program - recognizing the steps the company has taken to incorporate sustainable business practices. In 2012 alone, Apogee has seen their kWh usage drop 20% thanks to lighting retrofits, occupancy sensors, switching from desktop to laptop computers, and LED back-lit computer monitors.
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Roger Charlesworth poses with the inverters and charge controllers
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Solar Forward was the installer of Apogee's system. Roger said, "Solar Forward fit a matrix for us. They are local and experienced in battery back-up systems." Solar Forward installed 16 kW of SunPower modules to compliment the existing 12 kW that were on the building from a previous install. Also included in the installation were OutBack inverters and charge controllers that are specially designed to compliment battery storage. The OutBack inverters have the ability to automatically switch the from grid power to solar/battery power when they detect a lack of power coming in from the utility side.
 | | Enough solar panels to power all of the critical loads during a blackout |
 | | Mark Smith, CEO of Solar Forward monitors the system production |
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| Long-time Homeowner Sees the Benefits of Batteries | |
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Diagram of a "grid-interactive" solar system with battery back-up.
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Homeowners can also have back-up power. The huge majority of residential solar systems do not have battery storage because of the cost and space requirements, but battery storage is a safe and reliable upgrade to a solar system that can have huge benefits. Expect an approximate 50% cost premium for a grid-connected battery back-up system. For example, in this market a 5kW solar system would have a gross cost of $30,000. Adding quality battery back-up capabilities (charge controllers, inverters, a battery back-up load panel, and additional wiring) adds $15,000. The gross cost would be lessened by the SCE rebate and federal tax credits. Once installed, keeping your critical loads powered during a blackout can be achieved automatically with unique battery back-up systems and inverters (like the OutBack inverters pictured below). Running on battery power for days on end requires special attention to battery levels and what electronic loads are connected. We call this "load management." An inexpensive and easy to read energy monitor can be used to manage loads. Products like the Efergy energy monitor let you see kWh, cost, or CO2 consumption in real time! Santa Monica resident since 1999, Mark Smith has had his Sunset Park home powered by solar and backed up by battery storage for many years. During the SCE blackout on September 17th, 2012, his lights, refrigerator, and computer stayed on. During the day, his batteries are being charged and any solar power not consumed on-site is sent back to the grid for utility bill credits. He hasn't paid more than a few dollars on his utility bill in years (and that few dollars is just a fee to stay connected to the grid)! Additionally, it helps that he switched his utility rate from the standard "tiered" system to a "time-of-use" rate. The TOU rate is very advantageous to solar owners because solar generates power during peak times of the day (when prices per kWh are the highest).
 | | The OutBack inverters and charge controllers for a 5kW residential system |
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| In the Next Issue... | |
Solar can be used to power emergency housing, shelters, generators, vehicles, portable lighting, water pumping, fold-out panels, and communications. We will examine the costs, benefits, and implementation issuers around portable solar solutions...
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Mobile solar generation supplies energy to areas where power
is in short supply or unavailable
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| Solar in the News |
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"Solar for Every Home" - New York Times
"US Geological Survey, Preparedness Now" - YouTube
"LADWP Solar Feed-in-Tariff Program" - LADWP
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| Want to stay up-to-date with Solar Santa Monica? |
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For the most up-to-date information, "Like" Solar Santa Monica on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @SolarSM
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Solar Santa Monica is a free advisory service available to all residents of the City. Its goal is to create an energy-neutral city by 2020, by employing energy efficiency and self-generation of power via solar photovoltaic and solar thermal installations.
For questions and comments, please contact:
Susan Munves, Administrator
Energy and Green Building Programs
susan.munves@smgov.net
310-458-4992
Drew Lowell-Britt, Energy Specialist, LEED GA
EcoMotion, Inc.
dlowell-britt@ecomotion.us
310-935-1164
Solar Santa Monica
1212 5th Street, First Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401
www.solarsantamonica.com
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