RE-2.1-SA-5Deploy advanced renewable energy technologies (e.g. battery energy storage systems, microgrids, etc.) at municipal facilities to demonstrate feasibility.

Advanced energy efficiency and storage technologies will be a key part of all City facility upgrades/retrofits in alignment with the Municipal Energy Strategy & Implementation Plan and the Zero Emissions Buildings & Operations Policy.

With the implementation of microgrids a building or a set of connected buildings will be able to isolate from the grid and continue to operate during grid outages, relying on power stored onsite, increasing resiliency in response to energy disruptions. The microgrids will also reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during normal, grid-tied operations.

In Summer of 2023 the Sustainability and Mobility Department (SuMo) established pre-approved benches of clean energy vendors in three categories:

1. Energy Service Companies (ESCOs)
2. Solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage vendors
3. Microgrid vendors

Five firms in each category were competitively selected via a Request for Qualifications. Firms will be selected for implementation of clean energy projects as funding and opportunities arise.

Additionally, the pre-approved benches of ESCOs, solar PV, battery energy storage, and microgrid vendors can be used by SuMo and other City departments as needed to execute clean energy projects on City facilities that are not included in the scope of the Phase 1 ESPC sites, benefitting both existing building retrofits and new construction projects. Each completed project will bring the City closer to our CAP goals of eliminating natural gas from municipal buildings by 2035 and transitioning to electric fleet vehicles.

Read more

• The City of San Diego's Municipal Energy Implementation Plan
• The City of San Diego's Climate Resilient SD Plan
• The City of San Diego's Zero Emissions Municipal Buildings & Operations Policy (ZEMBOP)
• Staff report for “Update on Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) at municipal facilities”, presented to Environment Committee on April 11, 2024
• Municipal Energy Programs and Projects