Irvine Campus Solar Project

Capital Group Companies first hired EcoMotion in 2009 to support a solar project at its Irvine, California campus. EcoMotion helped the companies get the largest possible solar system, tying the output of three major arrays to the campus’s most expensive power meter. The result was a 1 MW solar system that was Orange County’s largest at the time. The system covered three parking garage’s shade structures and achieved a 4.1-year payback.

In 2015, EcoMotion was back “on campus” in Irvine when the Southern California Edison rules changed, allowing EcoMotion to help Capital Group boost the solar system capacity from 1.2 MW to 2.8 MW. The additional 1.6 MW was installed on six major rooftops and a fourth parking structure. The combined systems now generate over 4 million kWh annually. EcoMotion’s work included a video production using quality drone footage.

In 2023, EcoMotion team supported the Capital Group Companies in both the maintenance of Phase 1, identifying a suitable provider, and then working with CGC’s Phase 2 solar maintenance provider. Work was also recently done supporting system measurement requirements and performance monitoring.

San Antonio, Texas Solar Project

In 2010 Capital Group Companies retained EcoMotion to explore and become eligible for a new feed-in tariff program in San Antonio, Texas for its facilities there. EcoMotion developed a feasibility analysis, drafted an RFP, and managed a competitive solicitation. Our team even camped in a parking lot to be first in line for limited availability of Central Public Service’s Feed-in Tariff program. After considerable analysis, and legal definitions from Central Public Service, the project was put on hold due to an unusual Bear County tax provision for exported power. In September 2023, a solar system was successfully installed and celebrated there.

Latitude 39 is a high-end development being built in Stateline, Nevada on the shores of Lake Tahoe. EcoMotion was asked by its developer – PCS Stateline – to serve as the “eco-conscience” for the project. This involved carbon goal setting and resilience, as well as a major ground-source heat pump system, augmented with lots of integrated solar. The project included pool and spa operations and covers, vehicle grid integration, resilience for every condo, living walls, meditation spaces, and more. EcoMotion flagged and promoted all means to make the facilities green and as decarbonized as possible and was on board through project approval by the Tahoe Regional Planning Association. 

EcoMotion began working for Scott Brothers Dairy in Chino in 2022 to oversee the installation of a large solar and storage system at a dairy processing plant. The completed project is a 2.6 MW solar system, with impressive rooftop expanses as well as elevated carports to accommodate the circulation patterns of large semi tractor trailers delivering milk to the plant. The system is buttressed with an 800 kW battery Tesla bank. EcoMotion’s initial work involved vetting the solar developer lined up for the project, including experience and reference checks. EcoMotion conducted an independent spatial and financial analysis of the project on behalf of the owner. We reviewed the contract and later monitored the system’s commissioning and interconnection.

Planning and Analysis

In 2020 – 2021, EcoMotion was retained by the La Canada Flintridge Country Club (LCFCC) to analyze its carbon footprint and to develop a plan to strategically drive down GHG emissions. The resulting report was titled Pathways to Carbon Neutrality. It assesses facility resource use, specifically electricity, water, natural gas, and fuel, as well as transportation energy use and natural sequestration, to determine the Club’s baseline carbon emissions. The report presents future considerations, energy resilience, and recommendations to meet the Club’s carbon neutrality goal. A primary recommendation was to conduct an energy efficiency audit of the aging and energy-challenged clubhouse. EcoMotion’s consulting team member, Dave Houghton PE, led the analysis of the facility and its complex and insufficient AC systems.

Solar Works

One of the primary findings of the climate action planning process was that solar could potentially be used to power the Club. Electricity accounted for just over 50% of the carbon emissions inventoried and based on the club’s 2019 data. With over 100acres, certainly there could be a home for a 450 kW solar array. Many locations were considered; proposals were requested for innovative hillside solutions. A location between two fairways was considered and ruled out. So was the architecturally distinct Clubhouse given its highly complex, accordion-style roof. Ultimately, the Club decided on a partial solar solution and an ~80 kW system covering the golf cart charging barn. Currently EcoMotion is providing an oversight role. In August 2023, project plans were submitted to the City of La Canada Flintridge.

LeFiell Manufacturing of Santa Fe Springs, California has called on EcoMotion to provide solar consulting services. This aviation manufacturer – known for its aerospace manufacturing – is keen on going solar and sought out a Subject Matter Expert to verify the solar deal on the table.

For Kimco Realty Corp., a major property owner with 1,200 malls throughout North America, and headquartered in White Plains, New York, EcoMotion undertook a national analysis of the impact of solar systems. Our team analyzed its property base and prioritized locations for solar. Sites in California were examined to flesh out a business model for this real estate investment trust. Kimco took EcoMotion’s recommendations, formed a new business unit and built several major solar installations on shopping mall rooftops in New Jersey. Kimco now sells tenants green power, having found a way to turn its vast rooftops into profit centers.

For a shopping mall owner located in White Plains, New York, and a shopping center on St. Croix, EcoMotion provided a comprehensive audit – that included documentation of rain penetrations – and recommended strategies for energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades. With 50-cent per kilowatt-hour power, short paybacks were uncovered and reported to management.

Gensler Architects approached EcoMotion some years ago with the challenge of developing some “iconic options” for a 180-acre site owned by Los Angeles County in Norwalk, California. A major redevelopment project there involved existing and new buildings.

EcoMotion was hired to bring “out of the box,” potentially “iconic options” and thinking to the project. Our recommendations featured buildings that were well past net zero, community farming, and rainwater harvesting. Different scenarios we developed involved degrees of subterranean passive solar architecture, net positive community benefits in terms of energy, water and food, and community linkages to mass transit systems.

Lantronix is a global leader in secure communications technologies, specializing in remote access and control of all kinds of electronic devices. Lantronix is California-based with a global channel presence that extends through Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Australia. To strategize on its current operations and new product opportunities, EcoMotion brought together a team of experts including Consulting Stable members Chris Prelitz and Al Pipkin. How its products are manufactured, packaged, and reclaimed or discarded were all on the table. The company was in the process of relocating its operations, in a good position to demand heightened levels of efficiency in its new facilities. EcoMotion also provided strategic planning services, delving into current product manufacturing and placement, and exploring future product lines in line with the green movement. Of particular interest was the use of Lantronix’s remote communications for renewable energy system monitoring and billing, specifically for solar in distributed generation configurations.

EcoMotion’s Sustainability Plan developed for Roy Jorgensen Associates in 2010, built nicely on Jorgensen’s 50-year track record of maintenance management. Roy Jorgensen Associates began in 1961 as a specialist in roadway maintenance and then expanded into facilities. To this day, the company focuses on protecting and maximizing asset values for its clients. Jorgensen turned to EcoMotion to help frame up and draft the plan.

According to its President and Chairman, John Jorgensen, “Developing an internal Sustainability Plan allows us to clarify our historical commitment to sustainability and to inform our clients and community about our management of environmental impact.”

The Plan presents corporate goals in four major areas of the business, with immediate action steps for each key area, to cut energy, water, waste, and other critical materials. The Plan was a supplier requirement of its Facilities Management Division’s primary corporate client, Toyota. The Plan also demonstrates and codifies Jorgensen’s commitment to sustainability for employees, customers, and shareholders. It documents baseline conditions, and identifies action steps to take toward its goals.

Rexco Development is a company that has developed more than three million square feet of property in Southern California. On behalf of Corona Water and Power and Rexco’s president, EcoMotion analyzed and prescribed steps to avoid continued unusual power consumption – and alarming bills — at a Class A office building in Corona. EcoMotion was then retained to help green Rexco’s new retail and hotel properties. EcoMotion developed and presented a list of over 300 green options to enhance the properties and their values. Working with the owner, EcoMotion facilitated a decision-making process to select green measures – ranging from water-saving measures to advanced lighting and mass transportation linkages — for multi-year implementation.