Alabama Power unveils innovative power system in Reynolds Landing 'smart neighborhood'

Alabama Power today publicly unveiled an innovative power system that is providing electricity for the new Reynolds Landing “smart neighborhood” in Ross Bridge.

It’s a power system called a microgrid that, though attached to the power company’s main electrical system, is capable of functioning independently of it. It is the first microgrid in the Southeast to support an entire residential community, according to Alabama Power.

One of the key elements of the microgrid serving the 62 homes in Reynolds Landing is a 3-acre solar panel field that is capable of producing 600,000 kilowatt hours of power annually, said Jim Leverette, a research engineer with Southern Co., Alabama Power’s parent company. That should be enough to serve all the electricity needs of the neighborhood, depending on their usage patterns, he said.

The Reynolds Landing microgrid, located on a 14-acre parcel owned by Alabama Power off Shannon-Oxmoor Road, less than a mile from Reynolds Landing, also includes a lithion ion battery bank and a natural gas-driven generator, Leverette said.

Since the microgrid started functioning at the beginning of the year, Alabama Power has been alternating the types of power used to serve the neighborhood, he said. At times, the entire neighborhood has been powered solely by the battery bank or solely by the natural gas-powered generator, but not yet solely by the solar panels, Leverette said.

At other times, the neighborhood was powered by a variety of combinations of the various power sources, sometimes using two power sources and sometimes three, he said. The microgrid is capable of producing about 1 megawatt of power if all three on-site power sources are being utilized, he said.

The neighborhood also is connected to Alabama Power’s regular power grid if it is needed, Leverette said.

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy were on site today and said they are excited about this project because they see it as model for what the future could look like and look forward to studying how well it works.

Alabama Power is gathering data about the microgrid and the power usage of homes in Reynolds Landing over the next two years to provide insight into how neighborhoods of the future could function. The company plans to use the information to develop new programs, services and advanced energy solutions.

The project is part of a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Electric Power Research Institute.

Also, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce this week announced that the Reynolds Landing microgrid is the first project in its Global Energy Institute’s energy innovation campaign, which highlights the most innovative technology developments in the nation, said John Hudson, Alabama Power’s senior vice president of marketing and business development.

“We know that this neighborhood represents a great leap forward in serving our customers and providing energy in ways to improve people’s lives like we’ve never done before,” Hudson said.

In addition to being powered by a microgrid, the Reynolds Landing “smart neighborhood” also features homes that are rated 35 percent more energy-efficient than standard Alabama homes being built today, Alabama Power said.

The homes, built by Signature Homes, contain energy-efficient construction features, including thicker walls with more insulation, triple-pane windows and a radiant barrier roof that reflects radiant heat instead of absorbing it, reducing cooling costs.

All of the houses in Reynolds Landing feature Carrier Infinity heat pumps that operate longer at steadier, lower capacities to increase energy efficiency, quiet operation and humidity control. They also have a Rheem hybrid electric water heater that claims to deliver hot water faster than most standard electric water heaters.

The houses in Reynolds Landing are equipped with “smart home” technology that allows homeowners to control multiple features while away from home, including locks on the house, garage doors, a security system with cameras, lights, refrigerator interior cameras, the air conditioning and heating system and the stove, said Shon Richey, a marketing representative for Alabama Power.

The HD camera security system includes infrared night vision and wide-angle lenses, and each house has voice-controlled Amazon Echo Dot technology that allows users to control locks, lights and more with voice commands, according to marketing literature. A Google mesh Wi-Fi system allows for a strong internet connection in every room, Richey said.

Houses in Reynolds Landing also are equipped with the latest Samsung appliances, such as a refrigerator that allows people to control the temperature in specific compartments with the push of a button; a microwave with a grilling element that allows food to be toasted, crisped and browned; a clothes washer that washes a full load within 36 minutes; and a dryer that steams wrinkles, detects problems and reminds the user about vent cleanings.

Daniel Simmons, the U.S. Department of Energy’s principal deputy assistant secretary of energy efficiency and renewable energy, said this project helps build on a tradition of technical excellence and build innovative solutions to save the American people money without sacrificing comfort and security in their homes.

Simmons said he is accustomed to seeing this kind of technology in the laboratory, but what’s great about this project is that it takes that great technology and science taking place in national labs and puts it into real families’ lives to see how well it works.“That is critical — looking at how regular people live, work and play,” he said.

Christine Harbin, the senior advisor for external affairs in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, said the government also looks at this project as a model for investment in microgrid technology.

It not only improves the lives of people in neighborhoods like this, but it could be a game-changer for parts of the country impacted by hurricanes and other natural disasters, Harbin said.

“This technology will help households and businesses keep operating if the larger grid goes offline,” she said. “That’s why we’re so excited about this microgrid.”

Dwight Sandlin, CEO of Signature Homes, said he was skeptical of the idea for the “smart neighborhood” when he was first approached with it, but Alabama Power has been an exceptional partner with which to work.

He’s a little distrustful of some large companies because it seems many of them care more about their stock prices than they do about enhancing the lives of their customers, but “that’s not the case with Alabama Power,” Sandlin said.

Over the years, Signature Homes has tried to build highly energy-efficient homes, he said. The company has made great progress, but it’s hard to do and the energy efficiency levels Alabama Power wanted to achieve were beyond Signature Homes’ abilities, he said.

But Alabama Power provided consultants and resources, with little bureaucracy, and made it happen, he said. The power company had a clear vision and provided leadership to achieve what they said they were going to do, he said.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said Signature Homes has established itself as not just a home builder, but a community builder. The Reynolds Landing project fits right in with the high qualify of life that Hoover city officials are trying to create in the city, he said.

All of the homes in Reynolds Landing sold within six months of going on the market, Sandlin said. Construction is completed on most of them, and more than half are occupied. People were still moving into homes today.

For more information about the Reynolds Landing “smart neighborhood,” go to smartneighbor.com.