The second phase of a 25-MW, multi-campus solar + storage project is underway at Bishop Ranch, a 600-acre mixed-use neighborhood in San Ramon, California. Sunset Development Company and DSD Renewables returned for the second phase of the project, which will add 35,000 solar panels across Bishop Ranch’s office buildings.
Once completed in Q1 2024, the second installation will offset Bishop Ranch’s energy usage by 90%.
“As we continue to transform Bishop Ranch into a vibrant downtown, DSD remains the ideal partner to assist in getting us one step closer to our ultimate goal of relying 100% on clean, renewable energy,” said Alexander Mehran, Jr., president and CEO of Sunset Development Company. “DSD’s acclaimed, state-of-the-art technology reflects and complements Bishop Ranch’s commitment to sustainability. The immense scale of this second phase, along with its innovative design and overall aesthetic, is set to place San Ramon on the map for solar and energy storage installations.”
In 2021, Sunset Development Company worked with DSD to develop the first phase of the solar installation at Bishop Ranch’s City Center, a LEED Platinum-certified shopping center, which features rooftop and canopy PV systems that offset 75% of City Center’s total energy usage.
“We are proud to work closely with Sunset Development Company and have established a strong relationship with the entire team,” said Ben Jones, DSD’s EVP of canopy design engineering. “The second phase of solar installation at Bishop Ranch is a testament to their sustainable business practices, and we are excited to partner with them at this scale to design and build this architecturally stunning solar plus storage portfolio.”
News item from Bishop Ranch
“Once completed in Q1 2024, the second installation will offset Bishop Ranch’s energy usage by 90%.”
The thing to remember here is the TOU period in California from around 4 PM to 9 PM each day spikes electricity rates as the solar PV generation tails off for the day. The energy storage is the “cure” for the games the IOU electric utilities play to grab revenues. The result in this case is with some more installed solar PV panels, the campus will be at 90% and by using the energy storage system, the campus could also contract the ESS for grid services and themselves have a revenue stream from gird services that helps pay for the equipment as well as saving on the monthly electric bill.