The Golden State currently has the most solar capacity installed in the country, along with an ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. In keeping with this goal, the California Energy Commission (CEC) has updated the Building Energy Efficiency Standards to promote clean energy adoption statewide. As of January 1, 2023, the California Energy Code requires installing solar power and battery storage for new commercial builds.
Here’s what you need to know about the new requirements, and how PowerFlex can help you fulfill them.
Standards For New Commercial Buildings Have Changed
According to California’s updated Building Energy Efficiency Standards, all newly-constructed commercial buildings (with very select exceptions) must have a solar photovoltaic (PV) array and a battery energy storage system (BESS). This requirement applies to:
- Hotels
- Office buildings
- Clinics
- Restaurants
- Medical buildings
- Retail centers
- Grocery stores
- Convention centers
- Schools
- Theaters
- Auditoriums
- Industrial Warehouse and Manufacturing Factories
The requirement depends on several key facility and locational-based characteristics:
- Solar: The minimum required solar will depend on your building type, size, and CA climate zone.
- Storage: The minimum required storage (energy and power) will depend both on your minimum required solar system size and a coefficient determined by your applicable CA climate zone.
- For example, a 175,000 sq ft single story big box retail store in Fresno, CA would be required to install ~500 kW-DC of solar and a 250 kW/2hr battery storage system* under the new rule.