Encorp -- a privately held microgrid controls pioneer -- was awarded an energy services contract on August 6 th by the Alameda Board of Supervisors to deploy a fleet of six microgrids for buildings owned by the County of Alameda, which is located just east of San Francisco.
FORT COLLINS, Colo., Sept. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Encorp -- a privately held microgrid controls pioneer -- was awarded an energy services contract on August 6th by the Alameda Board of Supervisors to deploy a fleet of six microgrids for buildings owned by the County of Alameda, which is located just east of San Francisco.
Encorp will not only provide its Encorp Egility microgrid control platform, but will serve as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) lead for all six microgrids.
"These projects will deliver substantial environmental benefits by lowering energy costs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and diminishing our dependency on fossil fuels," said Tim Wesig, energy program manager for Alameda County. "Beyond environmental impact, they will also drive job creation and bolster energy resilience," he continued. "The integration of Encorp's cutting-edge microgrid technology will ensure uninterrupted operations at three essential facilities, even during utility grid outages. The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was instrumental in securing the approval of these forward-thinking projects," he added.
Tapping incentives available in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) reduced the total cost of the project by approximately 35%. Additional state subsidies contributed $8 million in public funding to the pool of private equity debt bonds used to finance the microgrid portfolio.
"We are primarily an energy technology controls firm but have served as an EPC for previous projects such as a $1.5 million microgrid for Red Feather Lakes in Colorado, which is served by the Poudre Valley Rural Electric Cooperative. We also served as the EPC for the $5 million microgrid for Kings River Packaging's Cobblestone facility in central California," pointed out Michael Clark, CEO for Encorp. He said Encorp serving as the EPC for this $45.3 million project is a move which dovetails with the company's "Microgrids for the Masses" program. "We at Encorp wish to offer customers curated microgrid solutions to free potential clients from the hold of large multinationals that often limit choice with costly prescribed vendor packages and procedures," he said.
Clark also observed that four of the six microgrids will be in low-incomes zones, adding an equity dimension to the project:
- Contract Services Building: Microgrid featuring 100 kW of solar PV, two 50 kW inverters, controls and grid interconnection systems.
- San Lorenzo Library: Microgrid featuring 150 kW of solar PV, three 50 kW inverters, controls and grid interconnection systems.
- Gail Steel Building; Alameda County Social Services: Microgrid featuring a 1 MW solar PV (with 8 125 kW inverters) and 1 MW/3685 kWh battery energy storage system, controls and grid interconnection and new switchboard
- Turner Court Building; Alameda County Public Works: Microgrid featuring 375 kW of solar PV, 500 kW/2103 kWh of battery energy storage, integration of existing 350 kW generator, controls, grid interconnection and new switchboard
- Peralta Oaks; Sheriff's Office: Microgrid featuring 500 kW of solar PV (with 4 125 kW inverters), 1 MW/8081 kWh of battery energy storage and grid interconnection.
- Santa Rita Jail ROTC Complex: Microgrid featuring 750 kW of solar PV, 1.5 MW/4020 kWh battery energy storage, two new 500 kW generators, controls and grid interconnection.
Capital support for payment and performance bonding was provided by Pine Grove Holdings of Chicago, Illinois.
About Encorp
For three decades, Encorp has provided energy-technology hardware and software products for 400+ microgrids and related applications worldwide. The firm's products and services enable the aggregation and control of all forms of electrical generation and energy-storage assets to provide economic benefit and enhanced resiliency for premium power end-users. Encorp's portfolio includes product development efforts and projects in mission-critical campus environments such as military installations, data centers, healthcare institutions and process manufacturers. It has been recognized globally for its leading-edge approach integrating traditional generation assets with their present-day sustainable counterparts. Learn more about Encorp's legacy and ongoing technology-development efforts at Encorp.com.
About Alameda County
Alameda is the seventh most populous county in California and has 14 incorporated cities and several unincorporated communities. The total population was estimated to be 1,628,997 as of July 1, 2022. Oakland is the seat of the County government and the largest city. Served by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), all of Alameda, except for the City of Alameda, is also served by Ava Community Energy, a community choice aggregation load serving entity that procures electricity supplies. The County saves its taxpayers about $6 million taxpayer dollars annually thanks to energy efficiency upgrades implemented at Alameda County buildings. Eleven large-scale solar installations as well as one-megawatt fuel cell plant have also been integrated at County facilities, saving local taxpayers an estimated $700,000 per year. https://acgov.org/.
About Pine Grove Holdings
Chicago-based Pine Grove Holdings, LLC, and its Founder Nelda Conners, provides strategic investments focused on creative mid-cap highly engineered precision-manufacturing companies. Ms. Conners has over three decades of experience across various global industries and is on the Board of Directors of several multinational firms. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the prestigious Automotive Hall of Fame and has a Master of Science, (MS) degree in Mechanical Engineering. https://www.pinegroveholdings.com/.
Media Contact
Ryan Clark, Encorp, 1 970-674-5300, [email protected], [email protected]
Peter Asmus, Pathfinder Communications, 1 415-250-8685, [email protected]
SOURCE Encorp
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