Zion Lippe UCC Builds a Climate Resiliency Hub with a Solar and Battery Microgrid

Zion Lippe Church

For more than 160 years, Zion Lippe United Church of Christ has served families throughout Posey County. Founded in 1863, the Mt. Vernon, Indiana, church continues that tradition through its congregation, parsonage, and Zion Nursery Center daycare facility.

Morton Solar recently helped Zion Lippe pair its longstanding community mission with modern energy technology. The result is a solar and battery microgrid designed to lower electricity costs during normal operation and provide dependable emergency power when the utility grid goes down.

From Solar Savings to Energy Resilience

Zion Lippe began its clean-energy transition in 2025 with the installation of an approximately 34 kW ground-mounted solar array. The system generates electricity for the church and parsonage, reducing the amount of power the property must purchase from the utility.

Solar alone, however, does not ordinarily provide power during a grid outage. To add energy resilience, Morton Solar installed 64 kWh of EG4 lithium iron phosphate battery storage and two EG4 FlexBOSS21 hybrid inverters in 2026.

Together, these components create a microgrid capable of operating independently from the utility during an outage.

The project gives Zion Lippe more than conventional backup power. It creates a climate resiliency hub that can help protect daycare operations, maintain essential services in the church and parsonage, and keep designated electrical loads running during severe weather and utility disruptions.

How the Zion Lippe Microgrid Works

During normal operation, the solar array supplies electricity to on-site loads. When the system produces more power than the buildings need, that surplus energy can charge the batteries.

Instead of exporting all excess solar production to the utility, potentially at a lower value, Zion Lippe can store some of that energy for use later in the day, overnight, or during higher-cost periods. This increases the amount of solar energy used on-site and may help offset more electricity purchased at the retail utility rate, subject to applicable tariffs and interconnection requirements.

When a grid outage occurs, the FlexBOSS21 hybrid inverters isolate the protected electrical system from the utility and establish a stable 120/240-volt microgrid. The batteries and solar array can then work together to serve selected critical loads.

The system is designed to provide seamless backup operation for designated emergency circuits at the daycare facility. It can also support critical heating, cooling, lighting, refrigeration, communications, and other essential loads in the church and parsonage.

Actual backup duration will vary based on:

• The battery’s state of charge when the outage begins

• The amount of solar energy available

• Weather conditions

• The number and size of the electrical loads being served

  
  

Zion Lippe Microgrid Specifications

Component	Zion Lippe configuration	Capability
Solar generation	Approximately 34–35 kWdc existing solar array	Produces renewable electricity for facility loads and battery charging
Hybrid inverters	2 EG4 FlexBOSS21 inverters	Provides 120/240V split-phase microgrid operation
Battery storage	4 EG4 WallMount 314Ah batteries	Provides 64 kWh of nominal storage capacity
Recommended usable storage	51.4 kWh	Based on EG4’s recommended 80% depth of discharge
Continuous battery discharge	40.8 kW DC	Four batteries rated at 10.2 kW each
Continuous AC backup output using batteries	24 kW	Two inverters rated at 12 kW each
Continuous AC output with solar available	Up to 32 kW	Two inverters rated at up to 16 kW each
Short-duration AC surge output	Up to 48 kW	Helps accommodate motor and HVAC startup demand; duration is limited
Inverter solar-input capacity	Up to 42 kW of usable PV input	Two inverters with up to 21 kW each
Battery chemistry	Lithium iron phosphate, or LiFePO4	Offers long cycle life, integrated battery management, and thermal protection

The combined system provides substantial capacity for a church-and-daycare emergency-power application.

Although it is not equivalent to a 40 kW continuous AC generator, the battery bank provides 40.8 kW of continuous DC discharge capability. The inverter system can deliver 24 kW of continuous AC backup power from the batteries and up to 32 kW of continuous AC output when sufficient solar power is available.

That capacity can support a carefully designed group of essential building loads, including selected heating and cooling equipment, without the fuel storage, noise, exhaust, and routine engine maintenance associated with a large standby generator.

Creating Value Every Day

The batteries provide value even when the utility grid is operating normally.

By storing excess solar production and discharging it when the church needs more electricity, the microgrid can reduce utility energy purchases and help Zion Lippe capture more value from its solar investment.

The system can also be configured to supplement facility loads during periods of high demand. For facilities billed partly on their peak electricity usage, this strategy may lower peak kW demand and the associated demand charges.

The project creates three potential layers of financial value:

• Solar savings: On-site solar generation reduces electricity purchases from the utility.

• Greater solar self-consumption: Battery storage makes more daytime solar production available when the buildings need it.

• Demand management: Strategically timed battery discharge can help reduce demand peaks when supported by the facility’s utility rate structure.

  
  

Actual savings will depend on energy consumption, system operation, weather, utility rates, and applicable tariffs.

Serving the Community When the Grid Cannot

Zion Lippe UCC has been a fixture in the Posey County community since 1863. Its new solar and battery microgrid reflects the same practical commitment to service that has guided the church for generations.

The project also demonstrates what is possible for churches, daycares, nonprofits, and other community facilities. Solar and battery storage can lower operating costs in normal conditions while helping essential facilities remain functional, safe, and comfortable when storms or grid disruptions affect the surrounding community.

Morton Solar is proud to help Zion Lippe combine its heritage of service with clean-energy technology designed for the future.

Explore Solar and Battery Backup for Your Facility

Morton Solar designs solar, battery-backup, and climate-resiliency solutions for churches, nonprofits, daycares, businesses, and community facilities across Southwest Indiana, Southeast Illinois, and Western Kentucky.

Contact Morton Solar to discuss how a properly designed solar and battery microgrid could support your organization’s energy and emergency-power needs.