California Cold Storage Facility Embraces Solar Power for Sustainability and Savings
Industrial cold storage firm Arctic Cold has adopted rooftop solar energy at its Santa Maria, California location.
Power developer REC Solar was contracted through a power purchase agreement (PPA) to deliver the 3.3-MW rooftop solar system for Arctic Cold.
The solar system, mounted on ballast, will not only offset roughly 83% of the cold storage facility’s energy needs but also avoid an estimated 2,953 metric tons of CO2 annually.
Arctic Cold expects first-year energy savings of $850,000 using the distributed energy at the contracted price. Moreover, the introduction of low- and zero-carbon energy at Arctic Cold’s cold storage site contributes to a lower carbon footprint across the broader food supply chain in California and beyond.
“We know that cold storage facilities require a lot of energy. Arctic Cold sought out to offset those expenses, and we were more than happy to offer a future-proofed solution,” said James Presta, Business Development Manager at REC Solar, in a statement. “Arctic Cold is setting a standard for the cold storage industry by optimizing their facility design with energy savings and future growth in mind. We look forward to building on this relationship and working together to set an example of the economic and environmental benefits of solar for high-energy industries like food storage and processing.”
While energy is one of the largest costs for cold storage, Arctic Cold’s new solar installation will significantly offset these expenses. The site has been designed to accommodate future integration of a battery energy storage system.
Arctic Cold is also maintaining renewable energy credits (RECs). These strategic initiatives will help the company pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification for the Santa Maria facility.
The power agreement with REC Solar required no upfront capital investment or operations and maintenance responsibility by Arctic Cold. REC will handle all of that under the PPA.
Arctic Cold’s facilities offered a variety of cold storage services, including temperature-controlled warehousing and blast freezing.