OC COLD STORAGE ROOFTOP COMMERCIAL SOLAR

Project Location:
Fullerton, CA

Description:
2x Rooftop Commercial Solar Systems

System Capacity:
1977.45 kW-AC

System Size:
~4,000 Solar PV Modules

Solar Panel:
545 Watt

Est. Lifetime Energy Generated:
$22 Million

Est. Power Savings (after):
30% & 48% Energy Offset

OC Cold Storage Rooftop Commercial Solar Project Case Study

Fullerton Cold Storage Turns Two Roofs into a Nearly 2 MW Energy Asset

This private cold storage operator in Fullerton converted the rooftops of their two neighboring facilities into a nearly 2 megawatt solar portfolio. The combined system is projected to deliver more than $22 million in electricity value, pay for itself in under three years, and return roughly 450% over its life.

Two refrigerated warehouses sit side by side in a dense industrial corridor. Revel Energy designed a coordinated rooftop system totaling 1,977.45 kW-AC, using about 4,000 high-output 545 W modules, 12 inverters, and roughly 2,000 optimizers/microinverters.

Each building is sized to its own load: one offsets about 30% of annual usage, the other about 48% – a significant reduction for an operation that runs almost constantly.

Cold storage is one of the most power-hungry segments in industrial real estate. Compressors and refrigeration equipment can’t be turned down when rates spike, and California prices have been climbing steadily.

This operator needed a way to take real pressure off the electricity line item without disrupting around-the-clock warehouse and dock activity.

Revel Energy treated both facilities as a single energy project. Using interval data and refrigeration demand patterns, the team designed a nearly 2 MW rooftop portfolio that could be built while the warehouses stayed fully operational.

The systems were also structured to use available federal incentives and accelerated depreciation at the time of construction. For a high-load operator with substantial taxable income, that combination turns the rooftops into a powerful financial tool.

Across the two buildings, the project is expected to:

Produce more than $22 million in lifetime electricity value
Pay back in less than three years
Deliver an estimated 450% return over its life

At the same time, on-site generation reduces exposure to future rate increases and supports a stronger sustainability story for major food and logistics customers.

The physical system is only half the story. The project was also structured to maximize current federal clean energy incentives and accelerated depreciation, including bonus depreciation in year one. For an energy-intensive operator with meaningful taxable income, this combination transforms a large rooftop installation into a powerful tax and cash-flow tool.

Those incentives, combined with reduced electricity purchases, are expected to deliver:

A payback period of less than three years, with a projected lifetime ROI of roughly 450% across the two buildings.

If you operate cold storage, food distribution, or other high-load industrial facilities in California, your roofs may be one of your most underused assets.

Revel Energy can prepare a no-obligation energy and tax analysis for your sites – showing potential system size, projected bill reduction, and how current incentives could impact your bottom line.

Interested in what a project like this could look like for your facilities? Connect with a Revel Energy specialist to start your analysis.

Case Study PDF – Orange County Cold Storage Rooftop Commercial Solar

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