This announcement comes in tandem with Lineage’s commitment to becoming net-zero carbon by 2040 as a signatory of The Climate Pledge, representing the Company’s industry-leading charge for a more sustainable cold chain.
Aligned with President Biden’s announcement on October 13, 2021 to invest in a secure and sustainable supply chain in the United States, Lineage has installed a 3.3MW solar array and 460kW of linear generators at its Colton Agua Mansa facility in California’s Inland Empire that, combined, will produce 100% of the facility’s energy consumption on a net basis. These advancements are indicative of Lineage’s continued prioritization of energy reduction, which started with the introduction of the Company’s responsible energy reduction roadmap in 2015.
“Lineage always strives to be responsible leaders in the communities where we live and work, and our commitment to advancing the future of renewable energy at our locations is no exception,” said Chris Thurston, head of renewable energy projects for Lineage. “Lineage is already a model for the industry with our innovative development and deployment of industry-leading technologies. Responsibly creating our own energy is an important sustainability milestone, and I am excited to see how this achievement further inspires our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2040.”
Lineage partnered with PowerFlex, a national provider of renewable energy infrastructure, to install the rooftop solar array in Colton – the second largest solar array in the Company’s leading global network of temperature-controlled warehouses. The facility has 8,426 individual solar panels that will generate an estimated 5.4 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy annually. The Colton array is one of several onsite solar installations that PowerFlex is supporting across Lineage’s distribution centers in the United States.
“As Lineage’s long-term partner in renewable energy, we are incredibly proud to share and help execute their bold vision for impactful solar solutions across their extensive network,” said PowerFlex Director Danny Ptak. “The onsite solar project in Colton demonstrates Lineage’s ongoing commitment to deploying innovative solutions to ensure that its operations are as sustainable as humanly possible.”
The onsite linear generators, a new technology launched in March by Mainspring Energy, create electricity using a low-temperature reaction of fuel and air. Distinct from an engine or fuel cell, a linear generator directly converts motion into electricity using chemical or thermal energy. The units ramp up and down usage to enable maximum use of the building’s solar array, ensuring reliability and optimal use of renewable power at all times. This increases the site’s resiliency by reducing grid dependency and lowers operating costs. Lineage’s Colton location is the first facility in the world with two linear generators, and the first of its kind to integrate a linear generator with solar panels. The two generators were installed in October.
“Commercial and industrial buildings account for more than a third of electricity usage in the United States and play an essential role in the energy transition,” said Mainspring CEO Shannon Miller. “Mainspring designed the linear generator to accelerate this transition by delivering resilient, sustainable, and affordable generation that is also ideal for pairing with solar and other renewables. We are proud to partner with Lineage, an industry leader and pioneer in deploying innovative energy technologies.”
In December 2020, Lineage’s increased its commitment to energy reduction by implementing new and innovative technologies. In 2021, Lineage was recognized by the United States Department of Energy for Outstanding Accomplishments in Energy Efficiency for the third year in a row and the Department of Energy’s Better Plants Challenge with a commitment to reduce energy intensity by 25% by 2024.
About Lineage Logistics
Lineage Logistics is the world’s largest temperature-controlled industrial REIT and logistics solutions provider. It has a global network of over 400 strategically located facilities totaling over 2 billion cubic feet of capacity which spans 19 countries across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Lineage’s industry-leading expertise in end-to-end logistical solutions, its unrivaled real estate network, and development and deployment of innovative technology help increase distribution efficiency, advance sustainability, minimize supply chain waste, and most importantly, as a Visionary Partner of Feeding America, help feed the world. In recognition of the company’s leading innovations and sustainability initiatives, Lineage was listed as No. 17 in the 2021 CNBC Disruptor 50 list, the No 1. Data Science company, and 23rd overall, on Fast Company’s 2019 list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies, in addition to being included on Fortune’s Change The World list in 2020. (www.lineagelogistics.com)
About PowerFlex
PowerFlex delivers commercial and industrial customers a full range of turnkey clean energy solutions: solar, storage, smart EV charging, microgrids, and energy management systems. The Company was founded in 2017 by a Caltech research group who developed a patented Adaptive Load Management (ALM) technology to optimize power consumption across a large network of charging stations. PowerFlex Systems was acquired by EDF Renewables North America in 2019, and consolidated with EnterSolar, a leading commercial solar developer, in 2021 to expand its onsite solar offerings. For more information, visit www.powerflex.com.
About Mainspring Energy
Driven by its vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero carbon grid of the future, Mainspring is delivering a new category of power generation — the linear generator — that delivers onsite, dispatchable, fuel-flexible power at low cost. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., Mainspring is backed by top-tier venture, strategic, and financial investors. www.mainspringenergy.com.
