A rendering of the Soleil Lofts, a new 600-unit net-zero apartment development in Herriman, Utah. | Courtesy The Wasatch Group

Energy storage built into Utah?s Soleil Lofts will function as a renewable backup for the power grid A new apartment development in Utah wants to model sustainable living not just by serving as a prototype for the region, but by demonstrating a game-changing way to expand residential renewable power capacity.
The Soleil Lofts, a $125 million, 600-unit apartment complex in Herriman, Utah, that?s roughly 25 miles south of Salt Lake, will be a net-zero development, meaning it will generate as much electricity as it needs. The development will be powered via rooftop solar panels backed up with battery storage, with an individual battery system in each rental unit, and will be all-electric, eschewing gas stoves and heating. Developers from The Wasatch Group, the firm behind the project, claim Soleil Lofts is the ?largest residential solar virtual power plant? in the country; not only will the extensive battery storage mean 24-hour electricity for residents, but a partnership with the local utility, Rocky Mountain Power, and Sonnen means the combined battery system can in effect ?sell back? power to the grid, especially during times of peak demand.
?We want to make an overall impact, not just for the local community, but to help improve the air quality in the state of Utah,? says Blake Richetta, chief executive officer of Sonnen, the company sup...