Granada Garage Solar Project

On August 21, 2023 the City's Sustainability & Resilience Department began construction on a 425 kilwatt (kW) solar photovoltaic system and battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Granada Garage. The project will generate, store, and supply electricity to the Granada Garage and Granada Offices, while also reducing electricity costs at the Central Library across the street.

About the Project
The new system will produce approximately 700,000 kWh per year of clean renewable electricity, equivalent to powering over 150 Santa Barbara homes. In addition to increasing local renewable electricity capacity, project benefits include improved regional air quality and energy reliability, and supporting the local green energy industry. This project is part of a broader City initiative to build microgrids, systems capable of both generating and storing electricity, at critical municipal facilities. Microgrids can operate while disconnected from the grid and continue to power these facilities, providing significant resilience potential during power outages and climate emergencies. 

The battery storage system at the Granada Garage project was funded in part through Southern California Edison’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). The batteries will store power generated by the on-site solar array and power the facility at nighttime or at times when electricity from the grid is most expensive.