Gridscape to Develop Renewable Energy Microgrids for Facilities in California

Gridscape has been selected by East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) to develop microgrids for approximately 30 critical facilities across San Leandro, Berkeley, Hayward, and Fremont. The project will see Gridscape install 3.1MW of solar PV systems and 6.2MWh of battery storage systems at 30 sites, providing energy resilience during power outages and reducing utility bills during normal operations. The initiative is part of EBCE's Resilient Municipal Critical Facilities Program, which aims to bundle small community projects into a larger portfolio to achieve economies of scale and viability.

Gridscape, a leading California-based developer and operator of solar microgrids for critical facilities, will oversee all aspects of this project. Alok Singhania, partner, Gridscape, says that the program's unique business model bundles sites from multiple cities into one portfolio to achieve economies of scale in project financing, legal, procurement, and construction.

Vipul Gore, CEO Gridscape, says the project is likely to take around 18 months to complete, with the main barriers being permit approval delays, utility interconnection delays, and supply chain delays, although these are improving and may not pose a delay to this project.

This project will mark Gridscape's largest deployment of microgrids under a single third-party financed PPA agreement, demonstrating how bundling small community projects can achieve economies of scale, making local power plant projects viable. To bring energy resilience to critical service sites in Hayward and Fremont, the program received a $2 million grant from Congress. EBCE's initiative exemplifies how microgrids can be scaled up to provide energy resilience and cost savings to critical facilities across multiple cities.

JP Ross, EBCE's VP of local development, electrification & innovation, is excited about the project, citing, "We're excited to partner with Gridscape on our Resilient Critical Facilities microgrid portfolio to deliver a more resilient and sustainable energy future. With their strong commitment to clean energy and successful track record, exemplified by their work on the Fremont fire station microgrid, Gridscape is the perfect partner for this project. Together, we'll address the challenges of the rapidly changing energy landscape and bring sustainable and affordable energy solutions to our communities."

Gridscape specializes in developing and deploying standards-compliant future-proof products and solutions for renewable energy microgrids and fleet charging.