Global energy services company Enel X has been selected to operate a battery storage system on behalf of Vintage Wine Estates in the US state of California.

Enel X will provide its Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Optimisation Software, DER.OS, and its unique capabilities to maximise the earnings potential of the solar + storage project across multiple applications, including on bill savings, incentive programmes, and grid services.

Vintage Wine Estates has also selected MEI Renewables to build a new solar system at the brewery company’s Ray Station facility, the largest winery in Mendocino County, California in terms of production volume.

The project, to be constructed in two phases, will consist of a relocated 755.2kW system that was installed by MEI Renewables in 2016 as a ground mount, along with the balance of the new system to be constructed on an additional 264,404 Sf of warehousing which is being design-built in part by MEI Renewables’ parent company, McDonell Electric, Inc.

The system will utilize REC Group’s Twin Peaks modules mounted on RBI Solar’s RS-VS racking. Yaskawa Solectria inverters will be paired with Tigo MLPE.

The total system size is 2.23MWdc PV + 741kW battery and will utilise Tesla’s new Megapack storage product. Once fully operational, the project will be the largest solar + storage project in Mendocino County.

The system is planned to be fully operational in mid-2021.

Through the combination of the solar array and the battery storage system, Vintage Wine Estates will be able to generate and store renewable energy to power its operations when energy costs are highest.

The system will enable the winery to reduce its overall energy demand, thus lowering its energy costs and supporting the local grid.

Surya Panditi, head of Enel X North America, said: “California continues to lead the energy transition, with commercial and industrial customers playing a critical role through distributed energy resources.

“Enel X develops tailored energy solutions that deliver economic and sustainability value, and this project will provide Vintage Wine Estates with significant energy cost savings, while increasing flexibility for the local grid.”