Industrial/Commercial
Payless Self Storage
Richmond, CA
80 kW Kaneka Modules
Payless Self Storage in Richmond is considered a mega-facility, with 1,850 units. 43,000 square feet is dedicated to climate controlled storage, including wine storage.
In 2006, after watching energy costs continue to rise, and with global warming becoming a bigger issue, Paul decided to invest in solar photovoltaics. “The green aspect of going solar was a bigger issue for me than the economics, although the recent rebates and tax incentives made the decision much easier” said Paul.
Generally self storage facilities aren’t known for high energy usage, but Payless Self Storage has climate controlled space covering 50% of the facility. Expecting to generate more than 12,000 KwH’s per month, Payless anticipates generating more electricity than they currently use, completely eliminating their electricity bill with a little left over to charge electric vehicles.
Paul hired Stellar Energy Solutions to design and install the 80kw system, roughly enough solar generating capacity to power 20 average homes. Given the bay area’s propensity for fog and light cloud cover, Stellar recommended Kaneka amorphous PV modules which are more efficient at generating electricity on cloudy days than are crystalline modules.
