CASE STUDY
Blue Horizon Energy
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Solutions
Utility Bill Optimization, Solar Plus Storage, Backup Power
Customer Type
Manufacturer
Commercial Operation Date
Fall 2021
Facility Type
Custom Component Manufacturing
Energy Storage System Size
250kW / 500kWh plus 400kW solar PV
Stem Helps Blue Horizon Bring Energy Storage to Minnesota
Blue Horizon Energy is a full-service clean energy development company whose projects generate reliable, efficient, and sustainable power for businesses and communities. Increasingly, these projects integrate and plan for energy storage to maximize their financial and operational impacts.
Stem is helping Blue Horizon Energy develop and install one of Minnesota’s first large behind-the-meter solar plus storage systems outside the footprint of an investor-owned utility. Working through Stem’s distributor partner, Werner Electric, we are developing a 500kWh energy storage system that will help the client, a manufacturer near Minneapolis, save money on energy bills while bolstering operations with clean backup power.
Challenge
With a reputation built on qualtiy, Blue Horizon Energy needed an energy storage partner that met its exacting standards — one with a long track record of success and demonstrated lifecycle support. Its customer needed a turnkey solution that could boost its resilience and sustainability while reducing energy bills and offsetting tax liabilities. And the provider would need to collaborate effectively with the local utility, an electric cooperative.
Solution
Blue Horizon brought in Werner Electric, a distributor in the Stem Partner Network. When Blue Horizon’s team began modeling options, Stem’s prior experience serving co-ops helped navigate deployment challenges. And when a battery manufacturer announced a surprise deadline, Stem’s procurement expertise ensured the battery would be delivered in the customer’s desired timeframe.
Results
Stem’s energy storage solution will help the customer save on utility bills while future-proofing the value of solar PV. In an outage, the battery can provide clean backup power for up to two hours for the entire facility, or longer for critical loads. With interest in clean energy and resilience only increasing, the three companies are currently exploring several other projects across the Upper Midwest.
