FUTURE-PROOFED: SOLAR AND BACKUP POWER INSTALLATION
The most complicated residential solar and backup energy installation venture hooked up via Freedom Solar Power became completed in northwest Austin in 2021. Our crew became inspired by using the homeowner’s choice to skip along a assets to his own family that is not most effective able to generating enough energy to 0-out his energy bills, but additionally affords peace-of-thoughts throughout grid outages and unpredictable climate.
Freedom enlisted the in-residence information of its most senior NABCEP licensed design engineers, a Master Electrician and 3 journeyman Electricians, a pro four-person solar installation crew led by way of some other Journeyman Electrician, as well as workplace operational support. All work become self-achieved via Freedom, besides for any paintings requiring the involvement of vetted and authorized 1/3 birthday celebration experts associated with the belongings' current telecommunications networks, fuel provider, gutters, and irrigation systems.
We Take Pride in Quality Craftsmanship
The venture was no clean feat, but Freedom Solar was determined to make the homeowners’ dream come authentic. “Paul changed into influenced by some thing larger than himself; he needs this to be an area for his circle of relatives to be secure for many years. Because of the intricacies involved, I couldn’t recommend anybody except Freedom Solar to do a process like that,” said James Garbo, Energy Consultant. “He had high expectations that set the bar above our beyond initiatives, and it influenced us to attain it. We were able to upward thrust to the occasion, check all of his bins and get the job executed higher than every person else could have.”
Freedom and the house owner set out to perform 3 matters:
1. 100% offset of the house owners electric consumption via sun panel production
2. Battery again-up for essential hundreds at both the garage and essential house
3. Future-proofing of the electrical capability of the entire assets
A Path to Future-Proofing
The maximum in-depth aspects of the venture covered a 2 hundred’ trench across the lower back of the residence, a forty five’ utility-grade-trench into the street, and the entire relocation of the residence’s fuel provider. Most importantly, the upgrade of the belongings' major electrical provider from 2 hundred AMPS to 320 AMPS, had been all deliberate and controlled via more than one and significant pre-production making plans conferences with the numerous events involved along with the electrical and gas application providers and metropolis inspection officers.
The set up of the sixty nine top rate SunPower 415 watt AC sun modules with G-Series Factory Integrated Microinverters took most effective a unmarried day. The tremendous trenching took five business days to finish. The electric paintings, which includes the upgrade of the garage and main house electric panels, required two days of prep paintings and a third day of primary paintings, in the course of which the electrical team completed a controlled outage with the Utility to improve the asset's provider to 320 AMPS.
There have been a complete of ten inspections for this venture throughout 3 separate permits. Every inspection surpassed on the primary attempt. Since very last commissioning of the machine, the home owner reports a internet credit electric invoice, even though the belongings has 3 air-conditioners, an all-electric SUV, and a weather-controlled 1900 rectangular foot storage.
Tesla Powerwall
Two thirteen. Five kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 batteries were established in the garage. All critical residence masses are backed up through the 2 Tesla Powerwall within the event of a grid outage. Underground conduit connecting the Tesla Powerwall’s circuits to the principle house electric panel became upsized in the event that the house owner chooses to feature more battery backup within the destiny.
Trenching
two hundred toes of trenching at a intensity of 12” from most important electric provider at house via the outdoor to storage electrical provider sub-panel. Within the 2 hundred’ trench there are 3 separate utility-grade schedule eighty underground PVC conduits, “destiny-proofed” and upsized (both conduit diameter and twine amperage) to allow for capability solar and/or battery backup additions.
1 conduit for garage sub-panel feeder wire
1 conduit for solar feeder twine
1 conduit for Powerwall battery backup feeder wire
Trench was covered with concrete earlier than protected with sod, to make certain that depth and insurance met all applicable utility inspection necessities.
Another 45 toes of utility-grade trenching at a depth of 36” from the primary electric carrier at residence panel to the Austin Energy application pull-field at the road.
Within the forty five’ trench there's one three” utility grade time table 80 underground PVC conduit to permit for upgrading 320 AMP provider feeders from Austin Energy transformers up the street. Throughout all trenching, the sod become carefully eliminated, changed and returned to authentic country.
Getting the Job Done, the Right Way
This assignment became a perfect union of excessive expectations on an elaborate and custom task and Freedom Solar’s determination coming to fruition. Most solar organizations would have turned far from this activity because of the complicated nature of it, but we had the knowledge to get the job accomplished the proper way. With transferring the fuel provider and water spigots, rerouting the gutters and changing the soil in the trenches, the of completion of this venture became a chief win. Not to mention it taking place throughout the epic wintry weather hurricane of February 2021 – Freedom Solar area employees, collectively with our founder Adrian Buck, rallied together to work through freezing temperatures because of how an awful lot it meant to the owner of a house.
“At no factor did I ask for the most inexpensive way to get solar power. I wanted the great engineering, installation and device to maximize the sun blessings. I asked that they destiny-proof the layout, so greater conduit was run underground and the cable sizes have been expanded to allow extra amperage while wanted. I established the maximum variety of sun panels allowed via the City of Austin for this house primarily based on beyond energy needs. The sun power installation enhances my ability to rate electric powered motors from everywhere within the storage (without cost). I wanted this assignment to be some thing to be happy with and by using no longer reducing corners, I have a system this is without problems expandable.”
PAUL C., HOMEOWNER
Estimated Cost Offset
In September 2021 the strength invoice would had been $331.Seventy four with out solar. With solar, the bill became a $fifty four credit. Solar offers a true forward-looking imaginative and prescient and the power to further decorate the house’s power efficiency and independence well into the destiny.
Comments
Post a Comment