CASE STUDY
Stockmans
Location
San Bernardino County, CA
Solutions
Energy Storage, Utility Bill Optimization, Backup Power
Customer Type
Water District
Commercial Operation Date
Spring 2021
Facility Type
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Energy Storage System Size
464kW / 1856kWh
Stockmans Leverages Stem to Enter California’s Energy Storage Market
Stockmans is an electrical contractor based in San Luis Obispo that provides solar, microgrid, and new construction services. Since 2011, it has delivered over $20 million in publicly funded energy projects for agricultural, industrial, and government clients. Prior to engaging with Stem, it had limited exposure to energy storage.
Stem helped Stockmans quickly get up the learning curve on energy storage, providing crucial educational and sales support that helped the company land its first major energy storage project. The 1,856 kWh system, at a water district in San Bernardino County, will provide backup power to the facility and better service to customers, in line with state resilience and climate goals.
Challenge
With blackouts and wildfires affecting millions of Californians, Stockmans wanted to offer energy storage to its customers but as a small shop it lacked expertise. And after working with small providers that went out of business, Stockmans wanted an industry leader with a proven track record.
Solution
Stem answered questions, recommended target customers, and provided sales collateral; at Stockmans’ request, Stem presented to the client’s board of directors to help secure project approval. Stem engineers worked closely with Stockmans to design an energy storage system that will back up critical loads for up to four hours before transferring to a diesel generator.
Results
The water district’s customers will benefit from more reliable service with fewer greenhouse gas emissions, just as California’s Equity Resiliency program intended. Stockmans and Stem are now pursuing several diverse projects – for schools, agricultural clients, and other utility districts – while eyeing broader trends at the intersection of storage, solar, and electric vehicles.
