A solar-plus-battery energy storage project developed by Sunrock Distributed Generation is now fully operational at the County Jail in Salinas, located in Monterey County. This project is designed to provide clean electricity, improve energy reliability, and deliver long-term financial savings for the county without requiring any upfront capital investment. The system has been financed through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), which allows the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, responsible for operating the jail, to purchase electricity at a predictable rate over time. Through this structure, the project is expected to save the Sheriff’s Office more than $12 million over its lifetime while also supporting the transition to cleaner energy.
The installation combines a 1.243 MW solar carport system with a 1.043 MW / 2.087 MWh battery energy storage system using Tesla technology. Together, these components are expected to generate more than 2,000 MWh of clean electricity each year. This output will cover around 55 percent of the County Jail’s annual electricity consumption and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 1,000 metric tons every year, making a significant contribution to the county’s sustainability goals.
The project was developed through a long-term collaboration between the County of Monterey and Mynt Systems, Inc., a renewable energy development, engineering, and construction company based in Santa Cruz. Mynt Systems worked alongside Sunrock Distributed Generation to co-develop the project and arrange financing through the PPA model, ensuring the system could be delivered with no upfront cost to the county.
According to Cora Panturad, Sustainability Program Manager for the County of Monterey, the completion of the project represents an important step forward in the county’s efforts to adopt clean energy solutions. She noted that the PPA structure is especially valuable because it enables significant long-term savings for the Sheriff’s Office while avoiding any initial capital expenditure. She also highlighted the project as a key milestone in advancing sustainability within public facilities.
The system officially received Permission to Operate in December 2025 after a complex multi-year development process. During this period, the project navigated several major changes in federal energy policy, including updates to investment tax credit eligibility, domestic content requirements, and rules related to foreign entities of concern. In addition, the team had to adapt to evolving building codes and safety standards for battery energy storage systems.
Safety was a major focus throughout the project, particularly in light of increased industry attention on battery storage risks following a fire incident involving nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries at the nearby Moss Landing energy storage facility in January 2025. In response to these concerns, the County Jail system was designed using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology, which is widely considered safer due to its lower risk of thermal runaway compared to other battery chemistries.
Project partners worked closely with the County of Monterey’s Health and Safety Division and emergency preparedness teams to ensure that the system met strict safety requirements appropriate for a correctional facility. This collaborative approach helped ensure that the installation prioritizes both operational reliability and public safety.
Rob Hymes, Chief Development Officer at Mynt Systems, stated that bringing the project online demonstrates the potential of strong public-private partnerships combined with long-term investment strategies. He explained that the system was designed with safety as a core principle while also delivering significant financial savings that can be reinvested into sustainability and community resilience initiatives.
Wilson Chang, CEO and Co-Founder of Sunrock Distributed Generation, also emphasized the importance of disciplined project financing in making such infrastructure possible. He noted that despite major policy changes during development, the project successfully delivered a stable and bankable solar-plus-storage asset. According to him, the system now provides the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office with predictable energy costs, improved resilience, long-term savings, and a safe and reliable energy storage solution.
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