A solar-plus-battery storage project developed and financed by Sunrock Distributed Generation is now up and running at the Monterey County Jail in Salinas, Calif. The system secures long-term energy and financial savings while bolstering local grid reliability.
Funded through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), it is expected to save the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the jail, more than $12 million over its lifetime—with zero upfront cost.
The installation includes a 1.243 MW carport solar array paired with a 1.043 MW / 2.087 MWh Tesla battery system and is expected to generate more than 2,000 MWh of clean electricity annually. This will offset approximately 55% of the County Jail’s annual energy use and reduce carbon emissions by around 1,000 metric tons per year.
The project results from a long-term collaboration between the County of Monterey and Mynt Systems, Inc., a Santa Cruz–based renewable energy development, engineering and construction company. Mynt Systems partnered with Sunrock Distributed Generation to co-develop the system and provide financing through a PPA.
“The completion of this renewable energy project is a major achievement for the County of Monterey to lead the transition to a more sustainable future. Thanks to the Power Purchase Agreement, the Sheriff’s Office is expected to save over $12 million without spending funds on capital costs,” stated Cora Panturad, Sustainability Program Manager for the County of Monterey.
The installation received Permission to Operate in December 2025 following a multi-year development process that navigated major shifts in federal energy policy, including changes to investment tax credit eligibility, domestic content requirements, and foreign entity of concern rules, as well as rapidly evolving building codes and safety standards for battery energy storage systems.
In January 2025, a fire involving nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries at the nearby Moss Landing energy storage facility heightened industry and public scrutiny of battery safety. In response, the system at the County Jail was designed using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology, which is widely recognized for its lower risk of thermal runaway compared to other battery types. Project partners worked closely with the County of Monterey’s Health and Safety Division and Emergency Preparedness teams to ensure a conservative, safety-first approach appropriate for a correctional facility.
“Bringing this project online shows what’s possible when strong public partners work with experienced developers and long-term capital,” said Rob Hymes, Chief Development Officer at Mynt Systems. “This system was designed with safety at its core and is projected to deliver millions of dollars in savings that can be reinvested into sustainability and community resilience.”
“The successful completion of this project demonstrates how disciplined project finance can deliver sustainable infrastructure certainty even amid major policy change,” remarked Wilson Chang, CEO and Co-Founder of Sunrock Distributed Generation. “We are proud to have worked with the Mynt team and our partners to co-develop and build a bankable solar-plus-storage asset that provides the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office with energy savings, predictable costs, enhanced resilience, and a safety-first storage solution.”
