Taylor Farms partners with Bloom Energy, Ameresco and Concept Clean Energy for off-grid energy

Taylor Farms (North America’s largest producer of healthy fresh foods) has partnered with Bloom Energy, Ameresco, Inc. and Concept Clean Energy to install a microgrid capable of taking one of their California food processing facilities completely off the traditional energy grid.

The energy leaders plan to combine six megawatts (MW) of Bloom fuel cells, 2 MW of solar power from Concept Clean Energy and a 2 MW/4 MWh battery into a microgrid designed to power the entire 450,000 sq. ft. facility in San Juan Bautista, California.

This collaboration combines the strength of each technology – fuel cells’ ability to generate resilient, always-on power, daytime power generation from solar, and energy storage benefits from batteries – to fulfil the facility’s 24/7 power needs completely, independently, and cost-effectively.

While microgrids are often implemented only to provide power to critical loads in the event of outages, Taylor Farms seeks to prove that companies can, with partners like Bloom Energy, Ameresco, and Concept Clean Energy, take control of all their energy needs and establish price and power predictability.

Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms, said, “Fresh food reliability is essential for our customers, and it’s more critical than ever to provide quality, fresh foods to North Americans.”

Sharelynn Moore, EVP, Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer, Bloom Energy, said, “Our partnership with Taylor Farms and Ameresco is a landmark demonstration of the capabilities that innovative, clean energy companies have to provide uninterrupted low-carbon power to large-scale facilities,” said

Michael Bakas, Ameresco EVP, said, “We look forward to this project serving as a blueprint for others as the role for baseload, dispatchable alternative energy sources serve as the cornerstone for resiliency in microgrids.”

Elliot Jaramillo, CEO of Clean Concept Energy, said, “Working with Taylor Farms’ leadership has inspired Concept Clean Energy to develop highly innovative and versatile solutions for solar canopies, rooftops and ground-mounted applications.”