iDemand wins 1 MW storage deal in San Diego

iDemand Energy Storage (iDES3) has begun engineering and design work on a $4.1 million solar-plus-battery storage project for five buildings owned by San Diego County-based biotech company.

January 18, 2017 Charles W. Thurston

The contract to manufacture uninterrupted-energy-supply batteries capable of storing and discharging up to 1.078 MW of solar energy was awarded to iDES3 in early January by SunFusion Solar Inc. Both are San Diego companies. Work, including installation of the battery units and solar arrays, is expected to be completed in mid-October.

“One of the challenges of this project will be to customize solar awnings that will hang off the sides of the buildings,” said Ray Trejo, co-founder and senior vice president of six-month-old iDES3. “They will need to be specially engineered to ensure that they’re not too heavy. There will also be solar arrays atop carports and rooftops.”

“This is the first of potentially several projects for the biotech company, which in addition to its buildings in San Diego County, also has facilities in Baja, Mexico,” said Sandy Ellard, president of SunFusion. The biotech contract, which calls for 900 kilowatt hours for the five buildings’ load is the largest to date for the startup battery manufacturer.

The client’s objective is to shave peak-load electricity demand during the middle of the day by using energy discharged from the battery units that was stored overnight. High time0f-use rates may run as high as $20 per KW between noon and 6 p.m. and $15 per kilowatt from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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