Innovative Cold Storage Enterprises, Inc. a/k/a “ICE” is a cold storage service company with a strong dedication to sustainability; so much so that the company uses chemical-free cooling tower water for landscape watering, installed permeable paving to allow rainwater to reach the ground, and even flushes toilets with repurposed refrigerant condensate. Expansion to a second location with 7,500,000 cubic feet of cold storage necessitated a renewable energy solution to keep with the company’s strong sustainability commitment.
Refrigerated storage is a business that relies on energy not to maintain production, but to protect all the products that its 1,850 clients entrust ICE to maintain at proper temperature. ICE needed a reliable solution that could keep products cool or frozen using green energy and also build in a safety net in the instance of a grid power outage..
The groundbreaking company, Innovative Cold Storage Enterprises, had commissioned one of the first large-scale commercial solar projects in San Diego (2009). After a decade of energy production success, it wanted to increase its energy production as well as replace a portion of the existing system due to unfavorable buy-out contract terms. HES Solar was the perfect team to expand the existing solar system with a 2104-panel SunPower rooftop and carport solar array design. HES Solar added additional autonomy and security by tying a 10-battery bank Tesla Energy storage system to the system.
“ICE” now operates on over 45% solar energy; the battery system 100% discharges the batteries on well over 300 days each year. This use of stored solar energy from the Tesla Energy storage unit accounts for as much as 70% of renewable energy use during winter months. During summer months the PV system overproduces enough to strongly offset utility costs. This HES Solar solution not only stabilizes and lowers energy costs for the company but holds to the sustainability tenent of Innovative Cold Storage Enterprises. Running the refrigeration units renewable energy provides cost savings that ICE is able to pass on to its customers.
“We pride ourselves on bringing efficient clean energy to cold storage facilities.“
Innovativecold.com website homepage
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.