New clean energy communities are coming to California. Leading homebuilder KB Homes announced Wednesday it has established what it calls the first all-electric, solar-and-battery-powered microgrid community in the golden state.
KB partnered with the US Department of Energy (DOE), SunPower, Schneider Electric, and Kia, among others, to test the new energy-efficient homes at several of its new communities.
The new all-electric, solar-and-battery-powered micro-communities are located at Oak Shade and Durango, part of KB Homes Shadow Mountain master plan in Menifee, California. However, these are not your typical energy-efficient homes with added solar panels.
The houses involved in these communities are equipped with backup battery storage, bidirectional electric vehicle charging capabilities, and perhaps most importantly, are interconnected, creating a resilient energy network.
When combined, these technologies establish a self-supporting energy network capable of powering a neighborhood during a power outage.
How all-electric, solar-and-battery-powered community works
Each home in the microgrid community will come fitted with the following:
- SunPower Equinox solar system
- A 13 kWh SunVault battery storage
- Rheem® ProTerra® hybrid electric heat pump water heater
- Carrier® high-efficiency two-stage heat pump
- Schneider Electric D Energy Center Smart Panel
Individual solar panels will harness energy from the sun and then store it in powerful batteries to serve as backup. In addition, community solar panels are connected to a 2.3 MW battery to complement the network’s power supply.
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