PermaCity has been contracted to design and build for Costco Wholesale Corporation solar power systems at a number of their Southern California facilities with a combined rated system output of 2.4 megawatts(dc). Building on the success of Costco's first 580 kW prototype system installation in Lancaster, CA, which PermaCity installed in 2006, PermaCity is now installing four more systems.
Through the cooperative efforts of the local communities involved, Schott Solar Inc. (the manufacturer of the solar panels) and Southern California Edison, Costco continues to pursue the numerous benefits of this alternative energy source. The systems produce the most electricity during peak demand times on sunny afternoons, easing demand on the already strained California power grid.
At approximately 600 kW (DC) per location, the Photovoltaic (PV) systems will be part of one of the largest privately owned, multi-site commercial PV systems in the U.S., and it continues to grow. PermaCity called on its experience installing some of Southern California's largest commercial grade PV systems, and its new partnership with Mangan Engineering, to implement its patent-pending, non-penetrating roof mounting system with almost 2,000 modules around the 200 existing skylights at each store.
"Our partnership with Mangan affords Costco and our clients unprecedented engineering design and project support," stated Jonathan Port, president and CEO of PermaCity Corporation. "Designing a multi-store system of this magnitude is challenging. Coupled with each city's unique permitting and inspection requirements, the potential for problems was huge. Our partnership with Mangan, and utilizing Schott modules, proved invaluable in overcoming those challenges."
About the installations
Approximately 2.4 megawatts will be installed on four locations, utilizing Schott modules, the most powerful solar panels available on the market. The patent-pending adhesion (racking) system, developed by PermaCity specifically for Costco's classic "big box" warehouse design, secures the modules up off the roof at a 10 degree angle. This increases system performance while also shading the roof and allowing air to circulate, cooling the panels and increasing efficiency, reducing air conditioning load.
