Santa Margarita Water District and Scale Microgrid Solutions Commit to a More Affordable and Reliable Energy System

Scale Microgrid Solutions have partnered with Santa Margarita Water District, which supplies safe, reliable drinking water, recycled water, and wastewater services to over 200,000 residents in nine unique communities in California. Scale intends to establish, finance, and operate 12MWh of energy storage systems at the district’s water and wastewater treatment facilities.

The projects are designed to increase the resilience of the community’s water supplies while also reducing costs. The facilities are in CPUC designated 'High Fire Threat Territories' and are prone to utility power shut-offs due to possible or actual wildfires.

The energy storage system will pair with the Chiquita Water Reclamation Plant’s existing 1MW of solar PV to store clean energy generated during the day and discharge in the evenings when energy prices are high and grid power is predominantly provided by natural gas power plants.

The project is making use of the state’s Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) to offset the initial cost of the batteries.

Scale will own and operate the batteries for the District, prioritizing savings and carbon reduction during normal operations, and fully charging before announced power shutoff events to provide clean resiliency to the plants.

“The District is looking forward to working with Scale on the implementation phase of this project. We feel that the end product will benefit our customers through increased resiliency coupled with the ability to reduce energy costs, all while lowering our carbon footprint,” says Don Bunts, Deputy General Manager, Santa Margarita Water District.

“I cannot think of anything more important than access to reliable water, especially in high fire threat areas,'' says Ryan Goodman, CEO, and co-founder, Scale Microgrid Solutions. “This innovative project will provide Santa Margarita Water District with the energy independence to prepare for future environmental and economic challenges.”