LAKELAND ― Lakeland Electric has plans to invest in solar power, but it’s thinking small communities instead of large, sweeping fields of panels.
Lakeland Electric is considering a $2.75 million partnership with Tampa-based Block Energy LLC, to build a housing subdivision that’s built on a solar-powered microgrid, potentially capable of being self sustaining while also contributing to utility’s power supply.
“This is a cost-effective way to serve all those new customers,” said Delaine Bacon, vice president of business strategy and development. “It’s a front-of-the-meter, utility-owned asset. … The fact it’s shared is what makes it effective.”
Cindy Clemmons, LE’s manager of legislative and regulatory relations, said Lakeland Electric staff met and started talking to Block Energy, formerly known as Emera Technologies LLC, about a year ago to discuss options and the potential pilot program.
Under the proposal, Lakeland Electric and Block Energy would work with a developer to create a “microgrid” community of 50 to 100 homes with each of the homes having solar panels on roof. Each home would have a battery unit on the ground for storage and converting solar energy, networked together in what the company calls a “BlockLoop.” Homeowners could use their own generated energy or the grid could pull stored electricity from a neighbor’s battery if one home is tapped out.
“That’s the thing about the technology, it knows how to balance itself out,” Clemmons said.
Homes in the “microgrid” community could potentially support each other through disruptive events or after a storm. Bobbi Dillon-Walsh, Block Energy’s vice president of development, said homes are producing energy, storing, consuming and sharing “all at the same time.”
“If something happens, a tree hits it or lightning hits it, it’s a mesh network. They won’t see a flicker, it will continue going,” Clemmons said.
The community would have a central energy park called “BlockCentral” that would have additional battery storage technology to help control the neighborhood flow and some grid-forming assets that run about 15% of the time.
The entire solar microgrid would then connect to Lakeland Electric’s existing grid. This would allow the utility to draw power from it.
“It’s designed to be connected to the grid, provide benefits to the grid but not burden the grid,” Bacon said.
Lakeland Electric would own the assets, Clemmons said. The utility would have an easement on a section of the homeowner’s roof to be able to access the solar panels and own the boxes. The standard roof of the home is in a different segment, so the roof can be repaired or replaced without necessarily impacting the panels, Bacon said.
Block Energy suggests that homeowners in these potential “microgrids” would be billed at its regular residential electric rate, rather an a special solar program.
Clemmons said on extremely hot summer days when Lakeland Electric is reaching its peak generation capacity, it could potentially tap into this system to draw energy from its batteries.
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Block Energy has several pilot programs, including one with Tampa Electric Co., or TECO; another with Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico; and it’s kicking off a partnership for low-cost housing in Maryland.
“What we are wanting to do is give you another tool in your toolbox to be able to serve customers in this new way and not lose them to behind-the-meter solar and these other technologies that are only going to keep coming,” Bacon said.
Housing developers are more frequently building solar panels into newer homes, Bacon said, sometimes even including batteries.
“You lose the revenue, but you don’t have to still build your equipment because they are not there all the time,” she said.
Block Energy’s design is for a minimum of 50 homes. More ideal economically is a grouping of 200 homes. Bacon said they are experimenting with a clover-leaf design, consisting of four communities of 50 homes. It works well for single-family and townhomes, but multi-family apartments is more difficult because of the amount of roof space versus energy demands.
Lakeland Electric has done some preliminary math showing investing in this type of solar community is “a little better cost-wise” than building traditional power, Clemmons said. The utility would not need to build transmission poles, wires and all the electrical boxes.
Clemmons said a contract for a pilot program will come before city commissioners for approval this fall. The…
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