Sprig Electric Pairs Tesla Powerpack with PV System
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sprig Electric is one of the first electrical contractors in the U.S. to pair Tesla’s Powerpack battery with a 350 kW commercial rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system in a solar installation at the company’s corporate headquarters in San Jose.
The components of the PV system include 1,177 solar panels that are spread more than 20,000 square feet across the building’s rooftop. The Tesla Powerpack battery system is installed in the Sprig Electric parking lot and is connected to the grid and the PV system. The Powerpack system maximizes consumption of on-site solar power, avoids peak electrical charges and facilitates the purchase of energy when it is the cheapest. It acts as an energy storage system for grid power and the photovoltaic system, significantly increasing the utility cost savings that Sprig Electric will realize from using solar electricity alone, thus cutting utility bills by as much as 80 to 95 percent.
Green Building News spoke with Michael Clifton, engineering and operations manager for Sprig Electric’s Energy Efficiency Division, about the installation project and its benefits.
Q: What was the main goal of the project?
Clifton: There were multiple goals. The first was to use the newest technologies to obtain savings and reduction of traditional energy sources and to promote our green contributions. The second was to provide a demonstration of how solar and battery systems are installed and how they operate through sophisticated control systems. It was also a goal to provide a site for interested individuals to examine the new hardware and view realistic performance in a typical building environment. The third was for Sprig to gain experience in the installation and operation of a battery storage system.
Q: What was the biggest green building component involved in this project?
Clifton: The PV array has a large green element producing power from the sun rather than using traditional energy sources. Since it produces most of its power in the afternoon when electrical demand peaks, it helps ameliorate the need for the utilities to use less clean ‘peaker’ generators to meet temporary high electrical loads. The battery storage system also helps with this by smoothing the peak demands and by its ability to transfer energy to the grid when needed most. We also have an ongoing lighting upgrade to more efficient lighting and controls to add to our savings.
We are also installing a monitor screen for Sprig personnel to view our progress towards savings. This allows them the option, through knowledge, to change behaviors that may increase electrical savings. Sprig has an active green committee that promotes various in-house conservation and recycling processes, and we felt that the installation of a PV system and battery storage system would make a big statement about Sprig’s commitment to green behaviors.
Q: What were some of the challenges on the project and how did the team overcome those challenges?
Clifton: We did a lot of research on various products to use. We wanted to use the latest advancements in technology while utilizing products that would operate dependably over many years. Being relatively early in the development of battery storage systems meant a little more effort was necessary in the selection process. The installation of the battery storage system could have been a challenge, but Tesla offered terrific support in planning and commissioning the battery storage system so it came off very smoothly.
Q: How was this project different from ones you’ve completed in the past?
Clifton: This project is unique in that it combines PV and battery storage. We have installed a large number of PV systems as well as UPS systems, but combining them in this way, with this goal, was new. Also since the installation occurred on our own office site, there has been a lot of interest from employees in watching the installation and its performance. There is so much interest in solar and battery systems, but much of the public is not well versed in how it all works and what it looks like. There were so many questions from curious personnel that continue to give us a real chance for education that often gets missed when the installation is at a distant site.