Resilient Solar and Battery Storage for Cooling Centers

By Marriele Mango of Clean Energy Group with Geoff Oxnam, Nate Mills, & Connor Sheehan of American Microgrid Solutions

Clean Energy Group (CEG), in partnership with American Microgrid Solutions, has released a new report examining the opportunity for resilient solar+storage (solar PV paired with battery storage) to provide backup power for cooling centers during power outages resulting from extreme heat. The report specifically focuses on how solar+storage can be adopted in underserved communities. Included in the report are results from 7 case studies which investigate the feasibility of implementing solar+storage in critical community facilities across the country.

Although the assessment outcomes varied across the different facilities, there were clear trends identified in the study:

• Solar+storage solutions significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
• Cooling center solar+storage performance is determined more by specific building characteristics than by the geographic location of the building, thus making the systems feasible in any region of the country.
• Successful implementation and operation of solar+storage systems is dependent on the accuracy of the facility’s backup load profile.
• Systems can be designed for either long-duration endurance (e.g., longer than 72 hours) or short-duration endurance. Battery size and capacity drives short-duration endurance, while solar performance drives long-duration endurance.
• Adopting state policies that incentivize battery storage and making changes to the Federal Investment Tax Credit can help reduce the economic obstacles of battery storage by greatly reducing costs.

read the full report