A young family living on the island of St. Croix was looking to cut electricity costs and guard against an unreliable grid. As Airbnb hosts with frequent guests, it was especially important to keep the power running seamlessly. With the abundance of sunshine on the island, the family decided that a solar power system with battery back-up was their best option.
They reached out to experienced solar designer & installer Mike Bruno of Energy Wise Strategies to help them achieve greater independence and significantly cut their electricity consumption from the grid. Bruno has over 30 years of solar design & installation experience and has installed countless systems in the Caribbean. He operates three different companies, his most recent company being Solar Wise Strategies, which is based in Puerto Rico.
Bruno readily recommended installing a solar energy system with a safe, cobalt-free, Fortress Power battery. Specifically, Bruno recommended the Fortress ESS, which consists of the eVault 16.5 + Sol-Ark 8k hybrid inverter. This turn-key solution is affordable, has a large power capacity and is easy to install.
Now complete, the family’s reliable, DC coupled solar + storage system consists of 18 Silfab 320w solar panels mounted on 3 SnapNrack rails, a Sol-Ark 8k hybrid inverter and a Fortress 16.5k 48V battery.
Bruno & his team built a concrete hurricane-proof room for the ESS to provide extra security for the system (pictured below).
The Fortress ESS allows the family’s Airbnb space to run off-grid for 18 hours a day and provides back-up storage in the event of an outage.
