Arch Solar announced the installation of a 191 kW DC solar project on a newly constructed affordable housing and community library complex in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is expected that this installation will offset 38% of the total electricity consumption at the location.

This project is part of a broader plan in Milwaukee aimed at producing renewable energy on-site for underserved communities. This project provides 93 townhouse style apartments and a newly built public library for a low-income community, supporting long-term affordability by directly reducing residents' utility costs, including allocation of units for rent discounts.

The convenience of installation, centralized monitoring, and consistency across multiple sites are key considerations, "said Andrew Holmstrom, Business Development Director at Arch Solar. When you have a unified platform, managing roofs with three different configurations is much simpler. The long string design with a power optimizer reduces our system costs, reduces main cables, conduits, and labor, while providing reliable performance at all locations

Arch Solar utilizes a combination of SolarEdge SE50K and SE10K inverters, as well as a dual input power optimizer, resulting in longer strings, fewer home cables, and reduced system balancing (BoS) costs. This setup not only simplifies installation, but also helps the project stay within the strict budget range commonly seen in affordable housing development.

Although the ownership model of each building is different, the energy-saving benefits of this system are aimed at directly benefiting residential tenants and community operations, thereby promoting greater economic stability and quality of life.

Affordable housing should come with affordable energy, "said Chuck Ellis, Vice President of Commercial and Industrial Sales at SolarEdge. This project demonstrates how smart solar design can produce quantifiable effects where they are most neede.