After we acquired two Class A office buildings in North San Jose —America Center West I and II—we partnered with energy consulting firms Stem and Black Bear to evaluate the buildings’ energy usage and identify possible savings from reductions in demand charges. As the leader in the Class A Office subsector, Stem was a natural fit to develop and build the project as we oversee the development and construction of all types of clean tech projects.

The system works by analyzing the buildings’ energy profiles and strategically recharges and discharges to ensure that the load is reduced to the point where it drives down energy costs. It’s estimated that the energy savings from the America Center West project will total approximately $17,000 annually. Black Bear is also working with us to capture and create value from the energy opportunities in our portfolios. The firm analyzed our portfolios to identify potential opportunities either for onsite solar, standalone storage, or solar plus storage solutions. According to the organization Climate Change Resources, battery storage has become an essential component of a transition from dirty fossil fuels to clean renewables, ranging from larger utility-scale installations to the individual home and vehicle. While hydro, biomass, and thermal are all examples of energy storage, the battery is currently the key component that will make electricity derived from clean and renewable but intermittent sources like solar and wind available where and when it is needed. Implementing battery storage will establish a much needed battery-based resilience to complement other types of storage.