BEGA North America: Keeping the Lights On

Commercial Case Study

BEGA North America
Carpinteria, CA

Challenge

BEGA is a lighting manufacturer at the cutting edge of luminary design and technology. Its American headquarters, BEGA North America, manufactures all of its products for the North American and South American territories in their Carpinteria, California facility. As an indication of its environmental focus, BEGA North America framed its California campus with a walking trail and a collection of various fruit-bearing trees. 

BEGA North America wanted a way to reduce operational energy costs and ensure protection from California grid outages. Additionally, the company strove to increase its percentage of renewable energy consumption and lessen energy transmission through the grid.

Solution

To meet BEGA’s requirements of reliable function and top quality craftsmanship, BEGA partnered with HES Solar. The San Diego-based solar and storage installer designed a solar photovoltaic and energy storage system across the buildings’ abundant rooftop real estate. With microgrid functionality, the facility is designed to continue its operations during any California utility outages. 

HES Solar constructed the solar systems in two phases and then installed two Tesla Megapack Energy Storage Systems (ESS) onto one concrete pad situated between the buildings. Each system was built to run independently as a stand-alone energy generation and storage system serving each building.

Customer Benefit

BEGA’s Carpinteria campus now produces electricity on its building rooftops as well as fruit along its border landscaping. The system will allow the company to operate at over 85% renewable energy use. The system will provide over 8.7 million dollars in energy bill savings over the first 25 years. 

HES Solar helped BEGA receive the maximum benefits from several incentive programs for commercial solar and energy storage construction. These include the Investment Tax Credit as well as the California MACRS Depreciation and the Federal 100% Bonus Depreciation incentives. The Tesla energy storage system additionally qualified for the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) through the state of California. 

The California sunshine now powers the California fabrication, assembly, production and shipping jobs. The operation is not dependent on grid power to meet orders and spread BEGA’s innovative lighting design to the American continents.

crane installing Tesla Megapacks

Long before the term sustainability became a mere advertising slogan, we attached importance to careful design and the intelligent use of raw materials. Sustainable resource management and the creation of exemplary production facilities, for both our workforce and the environment, have been part of our basic entrepreneurial principles from the very beginning.

from BEGA-US.com website

Quick Facts

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NET ENERGY METERING 3.0 INFORMATION

Net Energy Metering 3.0 (NEM 3.0) is the incoming law created by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The new tariffs and fees will impact both residential and commercial solar systems built in California. 

As this notice is posted in November of 2022, the Proposed Decision from the CPUC outlining the proposed NEM 3.0 terms is expected soon. This comes after a year’s delay. Once the new agreement is finalized and passed into law, there will exist a designation of the deadline under which new systems will continue to qualify for NEM 2.0 rates. 

The new NEM 3.0 rates will be designed to lower the value of electricity during the daytime hours, when solar is producing, and increase the value of electricity during the evening hours, when solar homes and businesses purchase electricity. In short, NEM 3.0 will create a “sell low, buy high” proposition to new solar system owners. 

To Californians looking to install a solar system on their home or commercial building, the NEM 2.0 rates will be preferred. As of this post, the solar industry does not know the details of how different the NEM 3.0 rates will be from the NEM 2.0 rates. 

Please use the HES Solar website as a resource to learn more, and please take our offer to speak with an HES Solar Energy Consultant at no obligation.

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Robert Laverty

Senior Energy Consultant, Residential

Robert Laverty joined the HES team in the summer of 2018, bringing his ten years of solar design experience and his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound with him. Robert is dedicated to finding solutions to help families produce and store electricity in order to reduce their reliance on grid power as well as help reduce their household’s carbon footprint. Robert’s experience as a newspaper editor as well as his involvement with the sustainability-focused Rocky Mountain Institute drives him to constantly seek out innovative ways to meet energy needs through renewable resources as well as helps him share those ideas with Southern California homeowners. When not at work or volunteering time with his church or community, Robert spends time with his wife and two sons or pursues his passion of fly fishing.
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