Microgrids - Storage

Ground broken on first “zero-energy” Maryland housing community

Ground broken on first “zero-energy” Maryland housing community
(Courtesy: BlockEnergy)

Housing Initiative Partnership (HIP), Pepco, BlockEnergy and public-private partners will break ground on a first-of-its-kind affordable homeownership development in Fairmount Heights.

The new community will feature six “zero-energy” single-family homes, powered by Pepco’s use of a BlockEnergy community energy system which combines rooftop solar with local battery energy storage. In addition to powering the homes, the system is meant to help increase reliability, security, and resilience for Pepco’s local grid.

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BlockEnergy is a distributed renewable energy platform provider, with an emphasis on plug-and-play functionality. Its product is comprised of a kit of parts, which are meant to be installed by local utilities.

HIP, a nonprofit affordable housing developer based in Hyattsville, Maryland, will market the homes to first-time homebuyers earning 80% or less of the area’s median income.

The development of the zero energy homes with community microgrid is a step forward in the Town of Fairmount Heights’ efforts to earn certification from Sustainable Maryland, a program for Maryland municipalities that want to have clean energy, mitigate energy inflation risk, and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term. Using modular construction, the six detached single-family homes are designed to meet the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Homes Program and the Passive House Institute’s PHIUS+ 2018 standard.