SunPower awarded solar-plus-storage carports in California

US solar firm SunPower is to deploy 3.7MW of solar carports across 10 locations in Contra Costa County, California, with some of the sites using energy storage.

The firm will install its Helix Roof and Carport systems in order to offset 68% of power taken from the grid by the County, which amounts to savings of US$16.5 million over a period of 25 years.

Three out of the ten sites will also feature Helix Storage systems with a combined capacity of 1.5MW / 3MWh that will provide further demand charge savings.

"The electric utility system is evolving and we're confident that these solar and storage solutions from SunPower will help us adapt, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the local environment while delivering energy and demand charge savings to the County," said Frank Di Massa, energy manager at Contra Costa County.

The move comes as part of the County’s Distributed Energy Resource Action Plan and it will also serve to expand the local EV charge infrastructure.

The systems will be deployed over the next year and once operational, the County will use the energy produced under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). It will also earn related renewable energy credits.

SunPower claims to have a pipeline of 135MW for its Helix Storage systems.

US solar prospects amid a changing business and policy landscape will take centre stage at Solar Media's Solar & Storage Finance USA, to be held in New York on 29-30 October 2019

Tags: sunpower, us, california, contra costa, carport, solar-plus-storage, helix roof system, ssfa19, ssfusa