Bus maker Gillig adds solar+storage at California plant

The 3 MW project will power a vehicle assembly line and charge battery-electric transit buses.

As a major bus manufacturer, Gillig LLC helps transit agencies across the U.S. meet their sustainability goals with heavy-duty alternative fuel vehicles. Now, the company aims to reduce its own carbon footprint.

Gillig partnered with SunPower to add rooftop solar and energy storage at its headquarters and assembly plant in Livermore, California. When completed later this year, the 3 MW, 7,800-panel system will represent one of the largest rooftop installations in the San Francisco Bay Area. It also will be one of a growing number of integrated battery storage installations at a U.S. manufacturing plant. Energy from the project will power transit bus manufacturing and charge battery-electric buses.

SunPower will design, install, and operate the 3 MW SunPower Helix solar system and two Helix battery-electric storage systems. The batteries will be charged by the solar panels and provide power to help reduce demand spikes.

Gillig’s transit buses include zero-emission battery-electric, near-zero-emission compressed natural gas, and diesel-electric hybrid models. The company also builds buses using “clean diesel” technology for reduced emissions.

At its 600,000 square-foot facility, Gillig currently uses high-efficiency lighting and recycled water for ground watering, as well as offers employee electric vehicle charging stations.

From: https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/03/09/bus-maker-gillig-adding-solarstorage-at-california-plant/