HES Renewables partnered with Aptera Motors to bring solar-powered transportation to the United States. In support of Aptera’s mission, the HES Renewables team successfully installed a commercial solar system on the roof of Aptera’s headquarters.
HES Renewables Provides Solar Headquarters for Aptera Motors’ Solar Car
Case Study from | Silfab Solar
Aptera is a unique solar car company that established their headquarters in Carlsbad, California. Ambitious goals were announced in 2024 to bring battery, frame, and body production to their Carlsbad facility. The challenges of solar powered commercial buildings are much easier to surmount than the challenges of solar powered vehicles. The Carlsbad building’s owner, HG Fenton, wanted to provide clean, renewable energy to the decision-makers who were developing and bringing a brand-new solar vehicle to the US market.
To support the Calsbad facility with clean energy solutions, HES Renewables installed an 892-panel solar system utilizing Silfab Commercial solar modules installed on the two-story Carlsbad building’s wide rooftop. The 446.0 kW system was meticulously designed using Energy Toolbase software, mounted on UNIRAC racking, and connected to SMA America Inverters. Rexel USA provided the materials for the project, with billing managed through Ivy Energy software. The system’s estimated annual output of 703,284-kilowatt hours provides nearly all the energy that Aptera will use each year.
“We were looking for a new workhorse module for the various commercial solar systems we’re designing and installing across Southern California. Silfab Solar stood out while we were researching potential energy partners. The Silfab Solar panels combine high-efficiency and offer a strong product warranty (25-year workmanship/30-year performance). Silfab Solar’s sustainability vision complimented the HES Renewables mission, and with solar module manufacturing established in the United States for their residential and commercial panels, we know Silfab Solar’s future qualification for the domestic content adder will be a strong selling point to make us more competitive in the Southern California commercial solar marketplace.”
– Wenjie Chen, Vice President of HES Renewables
The Aptera team now has locked-in savings over utility-provided energy. This also allows them to make their solar car a reality with a lower carbon footprint for their business, bringing their vehicle design philosophy to their brick-and-mortar facility – to maximize efficiency and operate on the power provided by the sun. With the HES Renewables solar system, building owner, HG Fenton has provided a strong benefit to their tenant. The ability to operate on renewable energy not only fits perfectly with the mission statement of Aptera’s solar-powered vehicle group, but also provides an additional retention incentive for Aptera’s employees. Combined with the additional revenue stream for the building owner, estimated to bring in a net operating Income of $5,700,000 over 25 years, the commercial solar project was a win-win for the forward-thinking property owners and tenants.
ABOUT HES RENEWABLES
HES Renewables is a local, family-owned, and operated California corporation developed from the commercial division of HES Solar. HES Renewables was formed after several years of strong growth attributed to innovation, a focus on client needs, and best-in-class commercial energy system construction. HES Renewables brings rooftop solar, carport solar, long-span solar, energy storage, microgrid design, and EV charging stations to businesses throughout California.
ABOUT SILFAB COMMERCIAL
Silfab Commercial panels are designed and engineered to meet the needs of commercial projects where maximum power density is required. Ongoing research into commercially viable innovations ensures that our panels are manufactured using leading-edge technology that results in lower energy costs and increased financial viability. When American stakeholders want the best, they turn to Silfab Solar.
ABOUT UNIRAC
UNIRAC is North America’s leading manufacturer of solar PV mounting systems, roof attachments, roof flashings, and accessories. With more than 25 years of customer service, UNIRAC has over 12.5GW of experience and more than 2,500,000 installations worth of knowledge; partnering with UNIRAC leverages experience that makes a difference.
ABOUT SMA AMERICA
SMA America is a photovoltaic technology specialist. They are a developer and distributor of high-quality grid-tied and off-grid inverters and innovative technology for excellent energy management. SMA Solar has solutions for all photovoltaic applications giving users more efficiency, and independence in meeting their solar energy needs. SMA is known for their quality and resilient durability with extraordinarily low failure rates within the solar inverter industry.
QUICK FACTS
- Total System Size: 446.0 kW
- Estimated Annual Output: 703,284 kWh
- Total Net Operating Income (Year 1): $142,434
- Estimated 25-Year Net Cash Flow Total: $5,308,542
- Estimated 25-Year Net Operating Income: $5,700,00
- Resident Usage Offset: 99.38%
- 25-Year Internal Rate of Return (IRR ): 48%
Republished with permission from HES Renewables.
© 2024 HES Renewables. All rights reserved
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag
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