Costco Wholesale Corp. is pioneering energy energy independence at its distribution center in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

The warehouse club giant, in partnership with Trinity Energy, has taken the center off the grid with the launch of an independent, on-site energy system. The solution, which combines solar power, battery storage and electric fleet charging into one integrated platform, is capable of generating enough power to ensure 24/7 energy reliability for all mission critical energy loads, including data centers and other technology that cannot tolerate outages. 

The newly commissioned independent energy infrastructure is designed to establish a new model for how large facilities such as large hyper-scale data center operators and major logistics/warehouse operators can take greater control over their energy. Businesses can operate with reliable, self-directed power while still supporting the broader energy system. 

The fully integrated solar and battery platform was installed significantly faster than installing a traditional energy backup system from local power providers, enabling Costco to accelerate its operational readiness, bypass lengthy grid interconnection queues and permitting delays, and benefit from substantial cost savings, according to Trinity.

Costco partners to take DC off the grid with independent, on-site energy system | Chain Store Age