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Big solar, battery system going into Vacaville

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State Compensation Insurance Fund, a nonprofit provider of California workers’ compensation coverage, is installing a large solar and battery system at its northern Solano County offices as part of a big upgrade at seven locations.

The Vacaville system includes 5.4 megawatts of photovoltaic production paired with a battery with 2 megawatt-hours of storage and 1 megawatt of output, according to spokeswoman Susan Wells.

Also going in at the three-building, 248,000-square-foot office complex just east of Interstate 505 are 30 level 2 electric vehicle chargers (240 volts) and four level 3 (DC fast charger) units, plus infrastructure installed to add 70 more chargers in the future. With State Fund, there are 580 employees in the office complex.

Altogether, Pleasanton-based State Fund is installing 9.8 megawatts of solar panels, 4.3 megawatt-hours of storage and 150 charging stations. Other locations are Pleasanton, Redding, Fresno, Bakersfield, Sacramento and Riverside.

The Vacaville system over its expected 20-year life is estimated to be able to produce power equivalent to the consumption of nearly 15,000 homes, offsetting about 122,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, or the emissions from 26,553 gasoline vehicles on the roadways.

Across all seven locations, the solar systems, designed and constructed by ENGIE Services U.S. and real estate services firm JLL, are projected to produce 311 gigawatt-hours of electricity over 20 years, enough to power more than 26,500 homes, and offset emissions of 47,000 vehicles. Energy savings for the facilities is estimated at $65 million.

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“Breaking ground on this project is a huge step forward in our drive to reduce our use of fossil fuels, limit the load we place on local and statewide electrical grids, and improve air quality throughout California,” said Andreas Acker, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at State Fund.

The Vacaville campus, built in Vacaville Valley Business Park by Devcon Construction in 2008, was awarded a Silver-level LEED green building project certification. The facility was originally built with 330 kilowatts of solar energy production and 20% recycled materials.

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