The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded $1.23 million to modular energy storage technology company Yotta Energy to develop a solar and storage system to address energy inequality in lower-income areas.
The project will include battery backup for a multifamily property located in Santa Ana, Calif. In addition to economic benefits, the project will also examine reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, improvements to the surrounding environment, and implications to the existing utility grid by adding solar and storage in a low-income community.
“Our state has long been dedicated to introducing and integrating renewable energy, but as lower-income areas lagged behind in adoption due to a lack of resources, these communities have experienced elevated air pollution levels,” states David Hochschild, CEC’s chair. “We look forward to working with Yotta Energy on this project to demonstrate the viability of these installations and how we can replicate similar types across the state.”
Yotta will work with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent, nonprofit energy research and development organization, and Promise Energy, a solar developer.
The initiative will demonstrate how solar and storage solutions can provide economic benefit for the city of Santa Ana. At scale, this can become a cost-effective solution that drives higher solar plus storage adoption rates, providing a pathway to an affordable, distributed energy resource solution for the residential market in California. Further, it decreases the existing fragility of the grid by offering alternative, local and decarbonized power.
Through replication and scaling, Yotta hopes to expand its solutions to other similar locations throughout the country, providing sustainable initiatives to make solar energy storage and usage more accessible.
“This is a significant step for the city of Santa Ana as the state looks to adopt and implement greener technologies into its buildings,” says Omeed Badkoobeh, CEO of Yotta Energy. “Not only will this project lead to a cleaner, healthier local environment, but it will also open the door for economic prosperity and growth in Santa Ana. As we expect to continue growing and implementing our solution in communities nationwide, we look forward to ensuring that everyone has access to a reliable energy supply.”
Ahead of installing the solar and storage system, Yotta will also perform data collection at SolarTAC’s Colorado facility.
Yotta’s technology features a PV-coupled architecture that provides efficient energy storage at a lower total installed cost. This technology incorporates lithium-iron-phosphate batteries designed with advanced thermal management. The integrated software plus hardware solution enables Yotta to address grid outages by enhancing grid resilience and reliability.
