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I found this webpage about a "smart grid" installed at Santa Rita Jail, CA and I thought's its a really cool and worth sharing...
...It's an $11.7 million project and is the first of its kind in the US, which is expected to save the county around $100,000 per year in energy costs.
The 113 acre jail is the 5th largest county jail in the US and yet it has the infrastructure to seamlessly "island" itself off the grid while continuing to generate and store its own power.
The decade long project utilises Solar and Wind power and even a large Fuel Cell. By incorporating a large battery storage facility the site is able to seamlessly cut its self off from the grid when neccessary. The risk of power outages has been removed, which in the past would leave the jail without power for 10 seconds or more while the old back up generators kicked in.
During off peak times when electricty is cheap the site draws electricity off the grid to charge up their battery facilities, during peak times, they disconnect from the grid and run self-sufficiently.
Although its got a long payback time I thought its a step forward in the sustainability of electricity supplies.
...It's an $11.7 million project and is the first of its kind in the US, which is expected to save the county around $100,000 per year in energy costs.
The 113 acre jail is the 5th largest county jail in the US and yet it has the infrastructure to seamlessly "island" itself off the grid while continuing to generate and store its own power.
The decade long project utilises Solar and Wind power and even a large Fuel Cell. By incorporating a large battery storage facility the site is able to seamlessly cut its self off from the grid when neccessary. The risk of power outages has been removed, which in the past would leave the jail without power for 10 seconds or more while the old back up generators kicked in.
During off peak times when electricty is cheap the site draws electricity off the grid to charge up their battery facilities, during peak times, they disconnect from the grid and run self-sufficiently.
Although its got a long payback time I thought its a step forward in the sustainability of electricity supplies.
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