PepsiCo is a worldwide leader in the food and beverage industry and has been leading the move to sustainable practices and renewable energy. This PepsiCo distribution center needed to be a perfect expression of one of the corporation’s key climate impact mitigation strategies: “SHIFT: To renewable electricity and fuels in manufacturing and fleet.” (https://www.pepsico.com/sustainability-report/climate)
PepsiCo makes clear how commercial solar in San Diego fits their big picture goals on their website: “We aim to lead by example and manage our climate-related impacts in a responsible manner, while helping to drive systemic change… We’ve set an ambitious new target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040… We more than doubled our interim climate goal, and are now striving to reduce absolute GHG emissions across our direct operations (Scopes 1 and 2) by 75% and our indirect value chain (Scope 3) by 40% by 2030 (against a 2015 baseline). We expect these new goals to lead to reductions of more than 26 million metric tons of GHG emissions, the equivalent of taking more than 5 million cars off the road for a full year.” (https://www.pepsico.com/our-impact/sustainability/focus-area/climate)
The SunPower system designed for PepsiCo in San Diego efficiently uses available roof space and takes advantage of the region’s abundance of sunshine with single tilt SPR-E20-330-COM modules tilted south to maximize production. The solar array is tied to a BYD energy storage system. Energy Toolbase’s Acumen EMS controls software, paired with the BYD CHESS unit, was installed to reduce peak demand at the facility. The primary controls application selected was Demand Charge Management, where Acumen EMS leverages its industry-leading machine learning algorithms to forecast load, shave peaks and maximize value capture.
This PPA arrangement allowed PespiCo to power this new building with renewable energy and achieve energy cost savings without upfront investment. The building’s designer, Hamann Construction, Inc. is able to provide clean energy and receive the benefit of several incentives.
“It was extremely gratifying to partner with Hamann Construction and Pepsi to create a commercial solar system atop the new Pepsi distribution facility here in East San Diego County. The goal was for a rooftop system that delivered the maximum yield. It was an honor to be a small but important part of Pepsi’s global energy goals and is always a great experience when we partner with Hamann Construction and get to be a part of one of their great projects.“
Wenjie Chen, Director of Commercial, HES Solar
The residential-only entity HES Solar has redefined its scope and has narrowed its focus to home solar service and home battery service. The impact of 2023 California regulations to home solar projects has required this company truncation; we regret the elimination of new home energy installations from our offerings. HES Solar now concentrates on supporting existing systems with maintenance and repair services for HES Solar and non-HES Solar systems and remains available for workmanship warranty work on qualified HES Solar systems.
For commercial solar and commercial energy storage design, installation, service, and O&M offerings, please visit the HES Renewables website hesrenewables.com.
A note on the state of California residential solar: The residential solar industry has faced significant financial hurdles in the last few years as a direct result of hostile policy, most notably NEM 3.0. Our primary trade partner, SunPower, went into Chapter 11 in August, 2024, and a majority of other solar companies, large and small, have been forced to close, leave California, or restructure. We are glad to remain available as a home energy service group to support our customers and provide maintenance and repair for home systems that have been orphaned by other company closures.
We recognize your frustration with this news and never intended for our beloved 24-year-old residential solar business to curtail its offerings.