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Case Example: Light Manufacturing Company Replaces Generator with Solar Plus Battery Storage to Reduce Costs and Emissions

In December 2019, BoxPower deployed an off grid SolarContainer in Concord, CA that shows the strong economic, environmental, and logistical advantages for off grid commercial customers. These benefits include:

• Significant annual cost savings from reduction in generator fuel
• Range of options for amount of renewable energy production, up to 100%, with ability to meet air quality standards
• Turnkey system that installs in under one day, shipped anywhere

The example below illustrates the advantages of BoxPower systems for off-grid commercial applications, based on a client’s light manufacturing operation in Concord, CA that had been running on a diesel generator for 20 years, as they were not able to receive utility service to their facility.

BoxPower Process for Right-sizing Solar Plus Battery Systems for Optimum Benefit at Least Cost

Cost savings begins with right-sizing the system, no more and no less than what is required to meet both renewable energy and cost-saving goals. In order to recommend the optimal solar plus battery system and at the least cost, BoxPower offers its Energy Audit and System Integration (EASI) service. This process takes a detailed survey of current and planned energy usage as well as the customer’s current diesel generator usage. It then recommends a BoxPower system and the potential savings and financial analysis of the system. For this customer in Concord, CA, BoxPower’s EASI software recommended a 15kW PV array and 42kWh battery bank to integrate with the existing 30kW generator. This system was designed to reach 90% renewable energy utilization  with no generator usage as can be seen in the February 2020 data below.  

Diesel Generator Costs

In Concord, CA the average diesel price is $3.79 and projected to increase 4.5% per year through 2040 (EIA). Assuming the customer continues to use 2,300 gallons of diesel a year costing $8,700, the lifetime cost of only the diesel fuel totals 272,375 dollars over the 20 year useful life period. Assuming $250 of maintenance per year (GTI), this total cost increases to $275,375. Please note this does not include diesel procurement or storage costs which can increase costs above $5 per gallon. 

BoxPower Financial Benefits

The total cost of the BoxPower 15kW/42kWh system was $94,813 including our 1 day installation process due to BoxPower’s patented easy-to-assemble design. Lifetime savings compared to the diesel generator are $178,143 before any investment tax credit. With the 26% investment tax credit, lifetime savings increase to $202,795 and an ROI in year 6. This customer chose to purchase outright, but if mixed with BoxPower’s 15 year financing, the customer experiences day 1 savings. Please see the figure below showing savings for the customer.

 Environmental Benefits

Each gallon of diesel emits 22 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (EIA). Since installation at the end of 2019, the Concord system has offset 11,509 pounds of carbon dioxide and will offset 1.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide over its life. For commercial and government entities who must meet air quality standards, the BoxPower solar plus battery systems provide an immediate solution. For those who wish to reduce generator use and emissions over time, all BoxPower systems are modular and easily scalable, enabling clients to add more solar and battery storage as their budgets allow, working toward renewable energy targets in an efficient and feasible way.

Logistics Benefits

Instead of worrying about diesel procurement, generator maintenance, or complicated custom solar and battery systems, BoxPower removes the headache and trouble by providing a turnkey, plug-and-play system that works on arrival, and that requires zero maintenance. Batteries and inverters are pre-wired inside a cargo container. BoxPower assembles pre-cut racking and the solar panels on site, and then commissions the system, all in a single day. Remote monitoring enables clients and BoxPower to assess system performance. 

BoxPower, Clean, Affordable, and Reliable Energy Anywhere

As seen by an off-grid commercial customer in California, there are significant value propositions in cost, simplicity, reliability, and sustainability for choosing BoxPower. Please reach out to sales@boxpower.io or visit our website https://boxpower.io to learn more. 

Whether motivated by values or the need to save money on generator fuel and utility bills, small and large commercial farms alike are increasingly being driven to renewable energy to power their greenhouses and agricultural buildings. “Even the small farms with just a few greenhouses are spending tens of thousands a year on electricity, whether via the grid or generator fuel,” says Tracy Huston, BoxPower’s Director of Partnerships who works with farmers to help them find cost-saving alternatives. “As the cost of solar panels and batteries has come down, renewable energy is now a way to cut farm operating costs by using the clean energy of the sun.” Now that some counties in California are mandating reduction if not the elimination of generator use for agriculture, many are looking for an affordable alternative. And with many states moving toward carbon taxes, many won’t be able to sustain energy-intensive farming practices without offsetting consumption with renewables.

Whether motivated by values or the need to save money on generator fuel and utility bills, small and large commercial farms alike are increasingly being driven to renewable energy to power their greenhouses and agricultural buildings. “Even the small farms with just a few greenhouses are spending tens of thousands a year on electricity, whether via the grid or generator fuel,” says Tracy Huston, BoxPower’s Director of Partnerships who works with farmers to help them find cost-saving alternatives. “As the cost of solar panels and batteries has come down, renewable energy is now a way to cut farm operating costs by using the clean energy of the sun.” Now that some counties in California are mandating reduction if not elimination of generator use for agriculture, many are looking for an affordable alternative. And with the likely move toward carbon taxes, many won’t be able to sustain energy-intensive farming practices without offsetting consumption with renewables.

BoxPower’s affordable solutions for agriculture offer turnkey solar plus battery systems that can be added to over time, allowing farmers to gain energy independence and reduce their energy costs as budgets allow. Founder and CEO Angelo Campus explains, “Our systems are modular, so you can start with a small solar array and a few batteries, then add more to meet your goals and as your resources and needs change.” BoxPower’s smallest system, the MiniBox, comes with a 9-panel 3.5kW solar array and 15.2kWh of lithium iron batteries, and can be scaled by adding additional rooftop or ground mount solar. The larger Solar Containers come pre-wired with inverters and batteries inside a 20’ cargo container, with arrays that range from 6kW to 22kW. Containers can be daisy-chained together to meet any load for the larger farm operations. Any of the systems can be off-grid or grid-tied. In counties requiring reduction of generator use, BoxPower’s “hybrid” solutions enable integration with a generator that recharges the batteries as needed, reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The modular nature of the system allows farmers to add more batteries over time to continue reducing generator use and move toward 100% renewable energy. Grid-tied farms can use the batteries for peak shaving to further reduce utility costs, as well as for emergency back-up power when the grid goes down—which, in California tends to happen at the worst times, during harvest season.

“One of our clients has been spending over $60,000 a year in generator fuel and maintenance alone, for a relatively small 10,000sf greenhouse operation. With our solar plus battery solution, we are getting her to 50% renewable now, with a scalable plan for 100% in future. The payback period for 50% renewable is about three years—it’s a no-brainer from a financial perspective,” says Huston.

For farms under pressure due to county air quality requirements, BoxPower offers a fast solution, with the plug-and-play, permit-ready systems able to be installed in under one day. “Each system is custom-designed, using pre-engineered components,” explains Campus. “We pre-wire the batteries and inverters in our shop in Grass Valley, pre-cut the racking system, and then ship just about anywhere. It saves months of time and thousands on typical solar installation costs.”

As an added benefit, the solar containers provide clean, usable space for storage or processing, complete with outlets and work lights. “For those who need more work space on their farms, the solar containers provide pristinely finished interiors, with sealed flooring and options for placement of outlets and work lights. So, you get clean energy and a farm building all-in-one, and at much less cost than buying a shed or constructing a stick-frame building. It’s hard to make a living as a farmer. We aim to take as much cost out of the system as we can, and leave more money in farmers’ pockets!”

For more information about BoxPower solar plus battery solutions, see www.boxpower.io or email info@boxpower.io.

Whether motivated by values or the need to save money on generator fuel and utility bills, small and large commercial farms alike are increasingly being driven to renewable energy to power their greenhouses and agricultural buildings. “Even the small farms with just a few greenhouses are spending tens of thousands a year on electricity, whether via the grid or generator fuel,” says Tracy Huston, BoxPower’s Director of Partnerships who works with farmers to help them find cost-saving alternatives. “As the cost of solar panels and batteries has come down, renewable energy is now a way to cut farm operating costs by using the clean energy of the sun.” Now that some counties in California are mandating reduction if not the elimination of generator use for agriculture, many are looking for an affordable alternative. And with many states moving toward carbon taxes, many won’t be able to sustain energy-intensive farming practices without offsetting consumption with renewables.

“One of our clients has been spending over $60,000 a year in generator fuel and maintenance alone, for a relatively small 10,000 sf greenhouse operation. With our solar plus battery solution, we are getting her to 50% renewable now, with a scalable plan for 100% in the future. The payback period for 50% renewable is about three years—it’s a no-brainer from a financial perspective,” says Huston. At another farm, grid-tied with an indoor nursery, BoxPower is reducing utility bills by 80%, using the solar to power operations during the day, and the batteries to provide even more energy during their peak rate times and when consumption is highest.

BoxPower’s affordable solutions for agriculture offer turnkey solar plus battery systems that can be added to over time, allowing farmers to gain energy independence and continually reduce their energy costs, as budgets allow. Founder and CEO Angelo Campus explains, “Our systems are modular, so you can start with a small solar array and a few batteries, then add more to meet your goals and as your resources and needs change.” BoxPower’s smallest system, the MiniBox, comes with a 9-panel 3.5kW solar array and 15.2kWh of lithium iron batteries, and can be scaled by adding additional rooftop or ground mount solar. The larger Solar Containers come pre-wired with inverters and batteries inside a 20’ cargo container, with arrays that range from 6kW to 22kW (up to 60 panels). Containers can be daisy-chained together to meet any load for the larger farm operations. Any of the systems can be off-grid or grid-tied. In counties requiring reduction of generator use, BoxPower’s “hybrid” solutions enable integration with a generator that recharges the batteries as needed, reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The modular nature of the system allows farmers to add more batteries over time to continue reducing generator use and move toward 100% renewable energy. Grid-tied farms can use the batteries for peak shaving to further reduce utility costs, as well as for emergency back-up power when the grid goes down—which, in California tends to happen at the worst times, during harvest season.

For farms under pressure due to county air quality requirements, BoxPower offers a fast solution, with the plug-and-play, permit-ready systems able to be installed in a single day. “Each system is custom-configured, using pre-engineered components,” explains Campus. “We pre-wire the batteries and inverters in our shop in Grass Valley, pre-cut the racking system, and then ship just about anywhere. It saves months of time and thousands on typical solar installation costs.”

As an added benefit, the solar containers provide clean, usable space for storage or processing, complete with outlets and work lights. “For those who need more workspace on their farms, the solar containers provide pristinely finished interiors, with sealed flooring and options for placement of outlets and work lights. So, you get clean energy and a farm building all-in-one, and at much less cost than buying a shed or constructing a stick-frame building. It’s hard to make a living as a farmer. We aim to take as much cost out of the system as we can, and leave more money in farmers’ pockets!”

For more information about BoxPower solar plus battery solutions, see www.boxpower.io or email info@boxpower.io.