$9M in savings with $0 CapEx carport solar and EV charging

The Project

A private equity owned aerospace manufacturer sought to reduce energy costs while securing key amenities including shaded parking and EV charging to meeting growing employee demand for a facility in Southern California. While the idea of implementing solar seemed attractive at a high-level, the team was busy managing their day-to-day operations. They were too busy to evaluate the right partners, system configuration, utility bills, or financing options. Adding to the complexity, the company wanted to install 50 new EV chargers as an employee perk, which needed to be factored into one economic evaluation. Lumen Energy stepped in to deliver a comprehensive solution. By analyzing utility and site data, optimizing system size for maximum savings in the Lumen platform, and then conducting a competitive bidding process for both a solar installer and financing partner, Lumen tailored a solution to meet their unique goals.

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The Results

The aerospace manufacturer obtained firm installer and financing offers for a 1.33 MW DC solar carport system with integrated EV chargers, producing 2.87 GWh of clean energy. Given the firm didn’t want to maintain the solar system or have the immediate capital to invest, Lumen guided them to finance the system through a $0-CapEx Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The owner secured this PPA with bids ranging from $0.10 to $0.17/kWh - a wide range -  supported by Lumen’s below-market installation cost from its network of solar EPCs.

By incorporating post-solar tariff strategies and precise load projections, the solution will significantly reduce the site’s $1M+ annual energy expense while supporting employee sustainability initiatives. Lumen streamlined the process from optimization to execution, enabling the firm to achieve substantial savings with minimal time investment.

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