LANCASTER, CA—Construction has begun on a solar energy project at BYD’s Coach & Bus assembly plant here. When fully operational, the project is expected to save the factory more than $100,000 per year in electricity costs.

The project will consist of solar panels capable of generating 2 megawatts of electricity, as well as batteries to store that energy. The project was developed by BYD and Apparent Inc., a clean energy management company offering enterprise software and connected hardware products for greater renewable energy integration.

The project will give BYD the ability to maintain optimum power levels for manufacturing, while also generating renewable energy on-site. Apparent’s intelligent grid operating system signals the battery system to charge during times of low demand and discharge during peak times.