CASE STUDY
Pelican Products, Inc.
Location
Torrance, CA
Stem Operational Date
June 2018
March 2019
Facility Type
Office Building
Manufacturing Facility
Energy Storage System Size
530 kW / 2.1 MWh
54 kW / 108 kWh
Solutions
Energy Storage, Utility Bill Optimization, Demand Response, Sustainability
Annual Savings
$64K Across Two Sites
Pelican Achieves $64K Annual Savings and Sustainable Development Goals with Stem
Pelican Products is a leading manufacturer of multi-use, durable, and reliable products. The company’s distinguished cases are known to stand the test of time and help eliminate the need for single use products and packaging. With a mission to protect what’s valuable to its customers, Pelican identified operational standards per the United Nations Climate Action Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including their commitment to recycle, reduce waste, and institute energy conservation programs.
Faced with rising demand charges and changing rate structures, Pelican pursued energy storage to optimize its monthly utility bills, gain the flexibility to buy energy at the most inexpensive times, and use stored power when costs are higher. Pelican first installed Stem’s smart energy storage at its Torrance site in 2018. The success of that project moved Pelican to install another energy storage system at a second location a year later. In 2020, the combination of Stem’s Athena® smart energy software saved Pelican more than $64,000 on utility bills.
Challenge
Pelican was initially drawn to battery storage for its appeal as a cutting-edge technology that could reduce facility energy costs for two of its locations in Torrance, California. Like other Southern California businesses, Pelican has faced growing energy costs as a result of a congested electric grid with high demand charges during peak times when its facilities are operational. In order to optimize its utility bill, Pelican sought a turnkey energy solution of forecasting and monitoring energy usage as well as competitive performance guarantees.
Solution
When Pelican considered an energy storage provider, Stem’s shared sustainability focus stood out to further and differentiate its energy efficiency focus. Plus, our savings approach meant that Pelican could realize immediate savings without an upfront capital investment. Through the Southern California utility’s Local Capacity Requirements (LCR) procurement program, Stem’s energy storage system allows Pelican to deliver flexible capacity back to the grid as part of the demand response solution.
Results
Stem’s best-in-class Athena software optimizes both Torrance sites’ battery storage systems to provide optimized utility bills. The automated demand charge management and energy arbitrage allows Pelican to set-and-forget their energy loads during operational hours. In 2020, Stem’s Athena software saved Pelican more than $64K across both its systems while exceeding its average monthly performance guarantee.
