BRK.A), (BRK.B)
Construction has begun on a two-megawatt solar and two-megawatt hour energy storage project developed by BYD (Build Your Dreams) and Apparent, Inc. at BYD’s Lancaster Coach & Bus manufacturing plant.
With this installation in place, the project will serve as a way to cut operational costs and offer a more sustainable energy solution for BYD. The site will give BYD the ability to maintain optimum power levels for manufacturing, while also generating renewable energy on-site. Powering the Lancaster plant is the first project that is a part of BYD’s and Apparent’s partnership to help deploy more efficient clean energy in Antelope Valley.
“This project showcases BYD’s commitment to a total green ecosystem with the ability to generate, store, and use zero-emission energy to power buildings as well as zero-emission vehicles,” said BYD North America President Stella Li. “BYD is the only company that can provide complete, affordable solutions.”
BYD selected Novato, California based Apparent, Inc. to design the solar+storage system based on Apparent’s intelligent grid Operating System (igOS™) hosted on SG424U micro-inverters. The software+hardware platform will manage real and reactive power produced by the system, communicating and controlling individual energy signatures to meet demand in parallel with the grid. BYD Coach & Bus will buy power from the system under a 25-year agreement once the project is completed this spring.
Apparent’s igOS™ is the key to unlocking an integrated total green solution – the sophisticated, real-time software identifies and signals to BYD’s battery system to charge during times of low demand and discharge during peak times. The project is estimated to allow BYD Coach & Bus to save over $100,000/annually in energy with the same upfront costs.
“We are very pleased to work with BYD to offer more intelligent energy solutions,” said Apparent President Jacqueline DeSouza. “Our energy platform offers dynamic real and reactive power production and sub-second communications and control — features no other clean energy solution can provide. The result is more efficient and environmentally-friendly energy production at lower costs.”
BYD and Berkshire Hathaway
In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.
For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.
© 2020 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.