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Larkspurdetails solar-plus-battery library system, weighs generator and mutual-aid options
Summary
City staff said the new Larkspur library will have about 40 kW of solar and a 60 kWh battery bank (30 kW inverter) that can keep critical systems running for short outages; officials debated programming the battery for cost savings versus emergency reserve and whether to secure a diesel generator or mutual-aid leasing for longer outages and pump-station needs.
Public Works Director Julian Skinner provided a technical and operational briefing on the new library's solar and battery system at the Feb. 11 forum.
Skinner said designers installed roughly 40 kilowatts of rooftop solar and a battery array initially sized at about 60 kilowatt-hours, with physical space to add two more 60 kWh units if needed. The battery system uses a 30 kW inverter. "If your batteries were fully charged... you'd have about two hours worth of use" at full load, he said, noting that typical PG&E interruptions are usually measured in minutes rather than hours.
Staff emphasized the system's multiple functions: daily peak shaving (reduce…
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