EDF Renewables North America has signed an agreement with Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and San Diego-based CollectiveSun to design, build, and operate an integrated energy system consisting of rooftop and carport solar, storage and electric vehicle (EV) charging.

The integrated system consists of 847 kilowatt (kWp) solar photovoltaic; 800 kWp/1,805 kilowatt hour (kWh) onsite behind-the-meter battery storage; and 50 smart EV charging stations to be installed at the Sanford Burnham Prebys campus in San Diego, California.

EDF Renewables partnered with CollectiveSun, a company dedicated to helping nonprofits and tax-exempt organizations fund solar projects through their proprietary funding models. CollectiveSun provided a discount for the cost of the installation since it was able to utilize tax credits that were otherwise not available to Sanford Burnham Prebys due to its tax-exempt status. While CollectiveSun will initially own the system, an ownership option will be available to Sanford Burnham Prebys after six years.

Solar reduces utility costs while the battery storage shifts the solar generation into the evening on-peak period of expensive power. The storage system will also be used to mitigate spikes in usage thereby lowering utility demand charges. Sanford Burnham Prebys is expected to save over $7 million in utility costs over the lifetime of the system.

“EDF Renewables is proud to work with CollectiveSun on this multi-technology project for Sanford Burnham Prebys – a leading nonprofit institution in biomedical research. This system demonstrates how a holistic solution provides the Institute with the most control of their operating energy costs while offering benefits to its 700 scientists and staff.”

Raphael Declercq, executive vice president, Distributed Solutions & Strategy at EDF Renewables.

The integrated solar carport and battery energy storage system will be operated by EDF Store and Forecast Energy Management System (EMS). The software platform has been deployed on over 129 MWh of integrated renewable and energy storage systems globally and is controlling EDFR’s growing portfolio of systems throughout the San Diego region.

The EV charging system will be installed by PowerFlex, an EDF Renewables, using its Adaptive Load Management (ALM) technology. This patented technology, developed out of Caltech, maximizes the delivery of power to electric vehicles while reducing or eliminating the need for costly utility upgrades by managing charging dependent upon driver’s demand, building load, onsite generation.

The smart EV charging platform is designed to flatten charging consumption and shift the consumption into the middle of the day to align with solar production. The integrated system is tailored to the facility’s energy characteristics, turning the solar carport and EV charging stations into a sustainable clean energy asset that reduces operational energy costs with no up-front capital costs.