Cox Communications’ Onsite Solar and Battery Energy System Goes Live in San Diego

Designed and built by PowerFlex, an EDF Renewables Company, the system marks the first solar-plus-storage project in the county for Cox Communications

SAN DIEGO (July 13, 2021) — An integrated solar photovoltaics and battery energy storage project is now operating at Cox Communications’ corporate office in San Diego, reducing utility costs and improving sustainability at the Federal Boulevard site.

As the first solar-plus-storage project in San Diego Country for Cox Communications, the integrated onsite battery storage, carport, and rooftop solar installation combined are projected to offset more than 374 tons of carbon each year, contributing to the more than 657,000 tons of CO2 offset since 2007 by Cox Conserves, Cox Enterprise’s national sustainability program.

Sam Attisha, Senior Vice President, and Chanelle Hawken, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for Cox Communications, recently hosted City of San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera (District 9) and Councilmember Monica Montgomery-Steppe (District 4) for a tour of the new conservation system.

“I was impressed with Cox’s system at their Federal campus and inspired by the companywide commitment to sustainability,” said Councilmember Montgomery-Steppe.

“Cox Communications’ new energy system installation is a perfect example of the transition to our clean-energy future. I look forward to seeing more of these systems installed with the rollout of San Diego Community Power,” added Councilmember Elo-Rivera.

“Sustainability and driving positive environmental change are core to the way Cox does business. We’re excited our largest California facility is spearheading the use of solar power and battery storage to reduce our carbon footprint in the region,” said Attisha. “This solar project will generate almost 20% of the building energy usage and move us closer to our company’s goals to send zero waste to landfills by 2024 and to be carbon and water neutral by 2034.”

Solar reduces utility costs by decreasing energy consumption while the battery storage shifts the solar generation into the evening on-peak period of expensive power. The storage system will also be used to mitigate spikes in energy usage, thereby lowering utility demand charges.

Michael Robinson, Director of Microgrids and Strategic Market Development at PowerFlex, commented, “PowerFlex is proud to deliver an integrated solution to Cox Communications to reduce energy costs and lessen their carbon footprint. The project demonstrates PowerFlex’s comprehensive suite of flexible, turnkey solutions to transform any organization into a clean-energy facility.”

The integrated solar and battery energy storage system will employ EDF’s Energy Management System (EMS) using real-time data to perfectly orchestrate all components of the system for optimal results.

Cox has long been committed to renewables, as this project is just one of more than 40 onsite solar generation projects Cox implemented across the country. In addition to the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2034, Cox also aims to be water neutral by 2034 and achieve its zero-waste-to-landfill goal by 2024. So far, Cox has invested nearly $140 million in more than 400 projects to get there.