New Sustainable Energy Source Anticipated to Create Significant Cost Savings
KENTFIELD, CA—April 30, 2015—This evening Tesla Motors, Inc. held a live presentation at Tesla Design Studio in Los Angeles. During the event Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel unveiled a new Tesla battery that has home, commercial/industrial, and utility-scale storage applications. Superintendent/President David Wain Coon and Vice President of Finance and College Operations Greg Nelson were in attendance to represent College of Marin’s partnership with Tesla on the project.
College of Marin holds the distinction of being the first community college in California partnering with Tesla to install the new stationary storage products on campus. “As a college committed to innovation and sustainable practices, we are thrilled to be partnering with a company that is on the forefront of advancing energy alternatives,” Coon said.
Tesla’s energy storage systems are derived from the same battery technology that powers their electric vehicles. The systems are able to store energy from renewable resources, provide critical grid services, reduce electricity bills, manage power demand, provide backup power, and improve the robustness of the grid. Once installed, the units will be integrated with the local grid to capture the full potential of the College’s solar arrays by storing excess generation for later use and delivering solar power at all times. The storage system is also capable of anticipating facility power needs. During times where demand is highest the system will discharge stored power, reducing the demand charges on energy bills for peak usage during a billing period.
Being selected as a site for the energy storage systems comes with $5.3 million in government incentives that will cover site preparation costs and installation of the lithium-ion battery pack, liquid thermal control system, and software that receives dispatch commands from a solar inverter. Concrete slabs will be installed behind the Student Services Building at the Kentfield Campus and near the Main Building at the Indian Valley Campus.
Vice President Greg Nelson expects installation to begin in mid-May and last until the end of June. Once the stationary batteries are operational, Nelson estimates the cost savings to be anywhere from $100,000-$150,000 annually for the College.
“Leveraging existing relationships made this new partnership possible. Through collaboration with our friends at Marin Clean Energy, we were able to meet the program qualifications and embark on this new venture with Tesla that has been nine months in the making. This takes College of Marin to the next stage of energy conservation, moving the College forward as a leader in sustainability. I believe this program will grow, creating opportunities for other community colleges throughout the country.” Nelson said.
The College is nearing completion of the new Administrative Center at the Kentfield Campus. This building, located at the corner of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Laurel Drive, is the final major construction project in the $249.5 million Measure C modernization bond passed by Marin County voters in 2004. We are proud to partner with Tesla and others in this innovative pilot project,” said Board of Trustees President Wanden Treanor.
Treanor also emphasized how this partnership reflects the Trustees commitment to ensuring sustainability was a key component of the facilities bond planning. “College of Marin is honored to help prove the potential for this new energy source while at the same time generating considerable savings to the College’s energy bill, said Treanor. “It is another step toward realizing a promise we made to the residents of Marin.”
About College of Marin
College of Marin has been providing exceptional educational opportunities for students of all ages since fall 1926. With campuses in Kentfield and Novato, the College is one of 112 public community colleges in California accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Over 9,000 credit, noncredit, and community education students enroll each fall and spring semester. The College has earned a reputation as a quality educational institution providing a pathway for achievement and success for students of all ages and from all walks of life.
About Tesla
Tesla Motors' (NASDAQ: TSLA) goal is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable transport with a full range of increasingly affordable electric cars. California-based Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles as well as renewable energy storage. Tesla has delivered nearly 70,000 electric vehicles to customers worldwide.