Remote mountain resort community
Ridgeline
Design and permitting record. Installation is not complete; system details reflect the engineering scope developed for the project.
Project overview
Ridgeline
"Ridgeline" is a fully off-grid resort development planned to grow from an initial cluster of cabins to several hundred over a multi-decade build-out, with no utility connection at any phase. The project required an electrical architecture that could expand incrementally without reworking the underlying system at each stage.
The design uses a phased DC microgrid that grows from a single-bus system into a multi-bus network as additional cabins, generation, and storage are added. Rooftop solar and battery storage are distributed at the cabin level, while central PV fields and modular battery banks support the main bus. A three-tier control hierarchy coordinates power sharing between individual cabins, feeder lines, and the larger community system.
Standby generation supports the early phases of development, with dependence on fuel-based backup decreasing as renewable generation and storage capacity expand. The same electrical and control strategy carries through each phase, allowing the system to grow without redesigning its core architecture.
System profile
System profile
- Battery storage
- 18 modular battery units at reference build-out
- Power capacity
- ~542 kW PV at reference build-out
- Solar
- Distributed rooftop + central field PV
- Generator
- Standby diesel during early phases
- Controlled loads
- 50-cabin reference system, scalable to 500 cabins
- Electrical service
- Permanently islanded DC microgrid
- Backup scope
- Full community
- Project stage
- Design + permit
System architecture
System architecture
- Distributed + central solar
- Cabin-level storage + controls
- Feeder + main-bus power sharing
- Community loads + standby generation
Technologies and considerations
Technologies and considerations
- Permanently islanded operation
- DC microgrid architecture
- Phased multi-bus expansion
- Distributed and central solar generation
- Battery storage at cabin and main-bus level
- Generator integration during early development
- Three-tier generation and load control
- Long-term reduction of fuel-dependent backup
Technical details
Technical details
Outcome
A phased off-grid microgrid architecture designed to grow with the community while maintaining a consistent electrical and control strategy from the first cabins through long-term build-out.Related offerings
Related offerings
Boundary of workJLJ provides consulting and engineering guidance. Licensed contractors retain responsibility for physical installation and permit execution. Code, utility, jurisdiction, tax, and legal conclusions require review against actual project conditions.
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