STORBOX Self Storage and The Wine Grotto in Pasadena, CA, Add Solar Panels

STORBOX Self Storage and The Wine Grotto has added solar panels to its facility in Pasadena, Calif. The project, completed six weeks ago at the 2233 E. Foothill Blvd. property, represents the largest non-institutional, photovoltaic array in the city, according to the source. The 744 panels deliver 230 kilowatts of power and will meet nearly 100 percent of the facility’s annual energy needs. The system was installed by California Solar Inc., a Torrance, Calif.-based provider of solar-photovoltaic systems.

The cost of the panels and installation was about $515,000. A new roofing system—a requirement for the panel installation—cost another $240,000, according to facility owner Brett Barnard. The new single-ply roof is white and made of a vinyl-like material.

“UV light is what kills your roof, and if you have a solar system that will last 35 to 40 years, you don’t want to put that on top of a roof that might last another 10 years,” said Will Breiholz, owner of California Solar.  

A portion of the solar-panel installation costs were offset by federal, local and state incentive programs. “The federal government is offering a 30 percent tax credit, so the installation costs were covered, and the city also has an incentive program that pays you back for solar production,” Barnard told the source.

The city’s incentive program is part of the Pasadena Solar Initiative, which is helping individual Pasadena Water & Power customers install 14 megawatts of solar power by 2017, the source reported. Eligible customers will receive a reduced net-energy metering rate until the aggregated capacity of all solar installations in the utility’s territory exceeds 5 percent of its system-peak demand.

Barnard plans to add 70 more panels to his property atop a new 43,600-square-foot building that’s under development. The structure will include five levels, two of which will be below ground. Once the new panels are installed, he’ll also integrate a solar-battery system that’ll store energy to be used during peak times as well as during a power failure.

Opened in 2001, STORBOX Self Storage comprises approximately 200,000 square feet of space, which includes storage units, 5,000 square feet of leased office space and 13,000 square feet of wine storage. The family-owned and -operated company currently has about 600 wine-storage customers, Barnard said.