What We Do | Grid-Connected
Grid-Connected is the standard way in which we will deliver the REnU to our customers. As you might have assumed, grid-connected systems are interconnected with the local utility. This interconnection maximizes the benefits and usage of electricity generated from the REnU system.
In a grid-connected system, the REnU generates electricity during the day, when the needed sunlight is available. It then delivers the power to either the customer or the utility; and in some cases, power may be delivered to an energy storage device. A set of rules defines this operation. In any case, customer needs always take precedence.
Typically, because homeowners are gone during the day time, the power generated will be delivered to the utility. This will actually spin the customer’s meter backwards. This reversal of the meter in effect provides credit to the consumer, so that when the consumer comes home in the evening, and when the REnU is no longer capable of generating electricity, the consumer can draw upon the credits that have been stored up with the utility (1). The illustration below depicts how a REnU system works.
How the technology works.
At this point, Grid-Connected systems are only being rented. Citizenrē is not offering leasing or financing options yet, but does expect to begin offering this sometime in the next few years.
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This arrangement is made possible because most utilities check their meters only once per month. And so the give-and-take of electricity is unknown to them. This will change with the new advance metering technology. However, because REnU power is generated primarily during peak hours of the day, REnU customers will be able to take advantage of time-of-use rates and reduce their energy bill even further. |
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