Commercial Solar + Storage Case Study | Team Toyota of Glen Mills, PA
How a Pennsylvania auto dealership used an 820 kWh Fortress Power eSpire battery system and 700 kW solar array to slash energy costs, achieve grid independence, and set a new standard for commercial energy storage.
Location: Glen Mills, PA
Clients: Team Toyota
Installer Partner: TerraSol Energies
System Size: 820 kWh
System Components: Fortress Power eSpire Commercial Energy Storage System + 700 kW Solar Array
Projected 25-Year Savings: $2 million+
Annual CO₂ Reduction: 400+ metric tons
The Need
Auto dealerships are among the most energy-intensive commercial properties in operation today. Large showrooms demand constant climate control and lighting. Service bays run diagnostic equipment, lifts, and compressors throughout the day. And as the automotive industry shifts toward electric vehicles, on-site EV charging infrastructure is adding a new and significant layer of power demand, one that shows no signs of slowing down.
For Team Toyota of Glen Mills, a high-volume dealership in the Philadelphia suburbs, commercial solar energy storage wasn’t a future consideration, it was an operational priority. Rising electricity costs, peak demand charges, and the growing need to support EV charging infrastructure were all putting pressure on the dealership’s bottom line. At the same time, grid reliability concerns were creating real risk. A service department that loses power doesn’t just pause, it falls behind. Technicians lose access to diagnostic tools, repair orders, and scheduling systems, and the disruption can ripple through an entire day’s productivity.
The dealership needed a commercial energy storage solution that could do more than reduce monthly utility bills. They needed a system capable of operating independently from the grid when it mattered most, one that would protect operations, support EV charging capacity, and deliver long-term energy cost savings at scale.
The Solution
Team Toyota enlisted TerraSol Energies and Fortress Power to design and deploy one of the region’s most advanced dealership energy systems.
The result is an 820 kWh Fortress Power eSpire commercial battery storage system paired with a 700 kW rooftop and ground-mounted solar array — a fully integrated solar-plus-storage microgrid engineered specifically for the operational demands of a high-volume commercial facility.
The eSpire platform is purpose-built for commercial and industrial applications. Modular and scalable by design, it integrates seamlessly with large solar arrays and intelligent energy management software that automatically determines when to draw from the grid, when to rely on solar generation, and when to deploy stored energy. During periods of peak demand, when utility rates are highest, the system draws from stored solar energy rather than the grid, directly reducing demand charges. During off-peak periods, it recharges in preparation for the next cycle.
And when the grid goes down entirely, the system is engineered to respond automatically.
Matt Santoleri, Director of Operations at TerraSol Energies:
“In the event of a grid failure, the Team Toyota system will disconnect itself from the grid and form a microgrid or an island, at which point the building would be powered solely on solar and battery storage power.”
That islanding capability — the ability to sever from the utility grid and continue operating as a self-contained commercial microgrid — is what separates a solar-plus-storage system from solar alone. Team Toyota can keep its service bays running, its diagnostic tools online, and its EV chargers active while neighboring businesses remain dark.
Kyle Bannon, Commercial and Industrial Engineer at Fortress Power:
“Rooftop solar paired with energy storage makes a lot of sense for auto dealerships, especially as EV sales continue to grow. As more electric vehicles are sold, on-site power consumption increases significantly. In some cases, manufacturers will even limit how many EVs they allocate to a dealership based on its charging capacity.”
Results
The numbers behind the Team Toyota installation are significant by any measure.
The 700 kW solar array generates approximately 800,000 kWh of clean electricity annually, enough to power more than 100 homes each year. Paired with the 820 kWh eSpire battery system, that generation is stored, managed, and deployed intelligently to minimize grid dependence and eliminate unnecessary demand charges.
Over the next 25 years, Team Toyota is projected to save more than $2 million in energy costs, a return that reflects both the scale of the system and the long-term stability that commercial battery storage provides against future utility rate increases. Additionally, they will receive annual rebates from PECO.
The environmental impact is equally compelling. The system is projected to reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 400 metric tons annually.
Built for the Bottom Line — and Beyond
