Commercial Peak Demand Reduction System (California)

Location: Berryvale Grocery Market, Mt. Shasta, California

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System Size: 1 × Discover AES 210HV (209 kWh usable)

Inverter: 1 × Sol-Ark 60K-3P-480V Hybrid Inverter

Installer: M.S. Light & Electric (Lead: Michael Morningstar)

Site Electrical Service: 120/208V, 600A 3-phase

Primary Use Case: Backup Power for Cold Storage Secondary Use Case: Demand Charge Reduction / Peak Shaving

Background

Berryvale Grocery Market is a locally owned natural food store and community staple in Mount Shasta, CA. The store features a full-service grocery and café, along with rental apartments above. Given the perishable nature of many products, maintaining continuous refrigeration is essential for daily operations and community service continuity.

The site required a robust solution to protect cold storage during grid outages while also improving energy economics through demand charge mitigation.

Installation & Design

The system was designed and installed by M.S. Light & Electric, a California-based commercial and industrial electrical contractor specializing in solar and energy storage systems. Led by Michael Morningstar, the team executed a custom integration that balanced resiliency, performance, and site-specific constraints.

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Core system architecture

  • Energy Storage
    One Discover AES 210HV high-voltage battery cabinet, providing 209 kWh of usable energy with integrated liquid cooling and UL9540A-certified fire safety features.
  • Inverter & Controls:
    One Sol-Ark 60K-3P hybrid inverter provides bidirectional power flow and full off-grid capability, controlled via the integrated LYNK II Gateway for real-time closed-loop battery management.
  • AC Infrastructure
    The site’s 120/208V 600A service was adapted for hybrid operation by installing:
    • Step-up transformer (208V → 480V) for Sol-Ark’s AC input.
    • Step-down transformer (480V → 208V) to power a dedicated 200A resiliency subpanel.
  • Critical Load Panel: The backup subpanel supplies:
    • Commercial coolers and walk-in refrigerators
    • Point-of-sale systems
    • Essential lighting and HVAC circuits
    • Core services for the upstairs rental units

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Results

  • Resilient Operations
    The system provides clean, automatic backup during utility outages, ensuring that refrigeration and sales operations continue without interruption.
  • Utility Savings
    Through programmed peak shaving, the battery discharges during periods of high demand, reducing load on the main service and lowering demand charges.
  • Future Flexibility
    The modular architecture allows additional cabinets or inverters to be added in parallel, offering a clear path to scale.

This was a great application of the AES 210HV — simple, powerful, and fully integrated into a challenging mixed-use site. We’re proud to be part of making Berryvale more resilient and energy independent.