When critical infrastructure depends on uninterrupted power, there is no margin for compromise.
At one of McMinnville Water & Light’s remote water catchment sites in Oregon, Artek engineered and deployed a fully off-grid Victron Energy power system designed to support essential water management operations. This site plays a direct role in supplying drinking water to the town (of 35,000+ people), by providing power to the valves responsible for releasing water to the treatment plant where it is processed for municipal use.
"Working with Sam and Jordan from the Artek team was a pleasure. They brought to the project technical expertise and communication skills that were instrumental in meeting requirements with innovative solutions while staying on schedule and budget." - Brent Scrivner, PE: Electrical Engineering Supervisor, MW&L
The system needed to deliver continuous uptime, operational redundancy, enhanced visibility, and long-term resilience in an isolated environment with no communication access and seismic compliance requirements. To ensure full compliance with local code requirements and installation standards, Artek partnered with Cascade Solar for the implementation, bringing together system engineering and field execution to deliver a seamless final deployment.
At the core of the installation is an 80kWh 48v Victron Lithium Smart NG battery system supported by dual Lynx BMS NG units for redundancy and protection. Because this site powers both constant monitoring infrastructure and high-demand hydraulic operations, the inverter architecture required a custom approach.
Because of the site’s seismic requirements and the critical importance of uninterrupted operation, the battery system was housed in seismically rated Rittal enclosures engineered for structural integrity and long-term reliability in demanding conditions.
The first inverter system consists of a dedicated Victron Energy 48v MultiPlus 2000 operating 24/7/365 to supply uninterrupted power to critical monitoring equipment. This infrastructure must remain online at all times, ensuring operators maintain visibility and control over the water system.
The second inverter system uses dual 48v MultiPlus 5000 units configured in split phase to power the nitrogen accumulation pump responsible for actuating the hydraulic valve release system. These units also handle battery charging through generator integration, creating a highly efficient hybrid power architecture that balances performance with fuel efficiency.
To maximize system efficiency and minimize standby consumption, Artek developed a custom automation between the inverter system and the existing Allen-Bradley PLC controls. The MultiPlus 5000 units were programmed to activate via a digital input from the PLC controls, reducing unnecessary idle consumption while ensuring immediate response when hydraulic operation was needed. Generator charging was further optimized through Node-RED automation and Victron’s Auto Generator Start functionality, ensuring that whenever the generator was running, battery charging was fully utilized.
This level of software integration is explored further in another blog, as it represents a significant step beyond standard Victron deployment.
Solar charging is handled by three 250/70 MPPT VE.CAN charge controllers connected to a 5kW solar array divided into three fully independent strings. This redundancy-focused design ensures continued charging capability even if one array segment requires maintenance or experiences failure. To meet code requirements and improve overall system safety, the array also incorporates a Tigo Energy rapid shutdown system. This provides module-level shutdown capability, allowing the solar array to be safely de-energized during service events or emergency response situations while maintaining compliance with modern electrical and fire safety standards.
This project reflects what Artek does best: combining advanced Victron integration, custom automation, and purpose-built engineering to deliver systems that perform where failure is not acceptable. Strong partnerships also play a critical role, and working alongside Cascade Solar ensured the project met both the technical and regulatory demands required for long-term success.
When infrastructure cannot stop, the power system behind it cannot either.