Solar Energy for California Indian Museum in Santa Rosa, CA
The California Indian Museum was experiencing frequent power outages needed a battery system that could be charged with solar to keep them 100% operational.
Project Details
Objectives
The California Indian Museum was experiencing frequent power outages and they wanted to keep their operations open during the power outages. They wanted a battery system that could be charged with a solar system that kept them 100% operational. They also needed to get the project done to meet a grant deadline for the project.
About the Client
The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center culturally enriches and benefits the people of California and the general public by showcasing California Native Indian cultures.
- Client Name: California Indian Museum & Cultural Center
- Project Location: Santa Maria, CA
- Services Provided: Solar Energy
- Industry: Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
Challenges
We encountered two main design issues with this project. First, there was a very old main electrical panel which only had a main switch instead of the standard main breaker. Therefore, we would have to find a main breaker that fit in the place of the switch which was impossible due to the age of the panel and the size of standard breakers. The second issue we had was the enclosure space constraints. There was not enough space to mount a new breaker in the main electrical panel so we would have to modify the existing gear and get the electrical gear recertified by UL. We were also on a tight budget because of the grant requirements so we had to get creative for a cost effective solution.
